Domino Effect
by Kire-no-Koibito
Summary: Hate can turn into love when a traumatic experience occurs. Simon wants Shizuo to stay calm, Izaya wants Shizuo to lose his humanity. What happens when Izaya's plan is successful but the slasher appears? Shizaya.


**Domino-Effect, A Shizaya fanfiction.**

**A/N: This fiction is very long, but I like it the most of all my fanfics so far.**

**Contains violence, cussing and sexual content. Setting: During the slasher incidents. **

**It takes a different turn than the actual anime but the facts used in this fiction concerning Izaya and Shizuo are based on the anime. **

**Enjoy~**

It always has been like this. Izaya would show up in front of the man whom he called a monster and it was already enough to make the man angry, leading to a fight. Usually, a fight in Ikebukuro wasn't a problem, it was a common occurrence. Yet, when it came to Shizuo Heiwajima, not only the man's opponent, but whole buildings, streets and even districts were endangered. The man in the bartender outfit would always use vending machines, signs, lanterns and even cars in his fight with the information broker. Nobody quite knew why the two of them hated each other, nobody knew why a small smile from the famous omniscient Orihara-san made the former bartender go berserk. Not even the former classmates of the two could answer that question. It all started with their first meeting, it all started with a simple _"I don't like you"_.

* * *

"Russian Sushi, buy Russian sushi! It's good, it's cheap! Oh, Shizuo-san, long time no seen, are you hungry?", Simon asked in the middle of his advertisement as the former bartender passed by.

The blond didn't seem quite excited and asked in an angry tone "What makes you think that, huh?"

"Oh, you are angry, Shizuo. It is just because you are hungry. Hunger is not good, come and eat some sushi. It's tasty!", the other still tried to soothe Shizuo in a joking way, however, the next phrase just made him frown and his face grow serious: "No, Simon. I am angry because the whole town stinks. I am angry because I can feel that the flea is plotting something. I will find him and I will kill him..."

The man with the African-American migration background frowned even more as he heard the word 'kill', his voice took on a cold tone and he grabbed Shizuo's arm to make him listen. "Shizuo. Violence isn't good, violence causes even more violence and that is what Izaya wants, isn't it? He wants to provoke you, right? Have you noticed how he laughs when you get angry?"

Not being pleased by this statement which really made sense, the blond frowned and snapped his cigarette in half, throwing it onto the floor. He wiggled his arm free from Simon's grasp and pushed his sunglasses back with his index finger. Strangely, he didn't say anything in protest, since he knew that he himself hated violence. He hated how he lost control over himself once he lost his calm. It was the thing he craved the most ever since he was a child: He wanted to become a normal human being. He wanted to be able to stay calm in all situations...maybe he disliked Izaya because he was the calmest person he knew? Maybe it was that he envied the dark-haired male? He gritted his teeth at the thought, really disliking it. He couldn't accept that such a flea was better than himself, so he just told himself that Izaya was a worthless human being. Ignoring Simon's further talk, he turned his back on the taller male and started hissing out, like he usually did, which sounded almost like a chant: _'Kill kill kill kill kill...' _And so, he went to search out a certain information dealer...This time, he was bold enough to head straight to the other's apartment, making his way through the crowded streets. The crowds weren't that big for Shizuo since most people in Ikebukuro were scared of him and who wasn't until then was now. Having a tall man with sunglasses give you a death glare and chant _'Kill kill kill kill' _wasn't the most pleasant thing that one could experience, so the people let the former bartender pass and tried not to make eye contact in order of not getting the blond unleash the rage on them.

Just as Shizuo arrived at the apartment complex and went about to call out 'Izaaayaaa-kuun', a light, mocking voice that was almost to childish for a 23-year old resounded behind him.

"Oh? Having a monster like you visit me personally, what an honour~", the man chirped. "You know, I saw you walking on the streets...it's quite handy to walk behind you since everyone fears a monster like you. Empty streets are handy, but boring."

The blond spun around, growling in a low tone, which sounded almost an animal's roar. There he stood, the root of all evil, Izaya Orihara. His lips were formed into the usual cocky grin, his hands jammed in his pockets and he looked as careless and laid-back as ever. The informant's jacket fluttered as a rush of wind passed by and as if that was the thing that was maddening the taller of the two the most, he screamed out: "IZAAAYAAA! This time, I'll definitely kill you!"

_Wait for it...wait for it..._ Izaya thought as he watched the blond get madder and madder, he watched the other grit his teeth, clench his fists and his frown become more intense until..._bingo!_ A traffic sign was broken off by the blond. That was a signal for the information broker to make his move. "Oooh, I'm scared, I'm scared!~", the man with the brown eyes said in an extremely mocking tone, smirking as he achieved what he wanted. Shizuo started chasing him, swinging the sign at him and trying to kill the paler male with it. However, even though Shizuo was the stronger of the two, rage has made him blind. While Izaya remained composed and saw the whole chase as a game of tag, successfully dodging the attacks, Shizuo was enraged and due to the weight of the traffic sign also slower than the raven. "Aaah, such strength! You are a real monster. That is why I hate you since I only love humans~", Izaya said after jumping up onto a balcony on the second floor. After he did, he threw about 10 blades at the other. Yet, as always, he wasn't trying to kill his former schoolmate. No...it would be too bad if he would lose his favourite toy. He managed to cut the other's cheek and rip one of his pant legs though.

"Izaya...come down here!", Shizuo roared, almost like a lion, earning a loud laughter from the other. It irritated the blond even more and he growled, honestly thinking of breaking down the balcony and taking Izaya down by force. Finally, the information broker hummed: "So that I can be beaten up by you~? It's a nice offer, Shizu-chan, but I am afraid I have to decline it~" That was the limit for Shizuo. The man with superhuman strength picked up a car standing nearby and was about to throw it at Izaya and forget all the humanity he had, forget about the people living in the house that he would definitely damage with the car, which caused Izaya to grin viciously as his plan worked. However, Simon has shown up just in time. "Shizuo, stop. Do you realize that you disobey your own principles by doing that, do you?!", he asked, trying to stop his friend by talking some sense into him, yet it was too late for talking it seemed. The ex-bartender growled louder and made the usually cheerful Russian frown. "Well then..", he could only say before getting ready to punch Shizuo. Right then, the friend of the tall Russian acted just like a monster. Sure, it had to do with the bad mood that had piled up in the last three days..but it made Simon sad. To see his friend act only on his instincts, to act without thinking of the innocent people that might get hurt...to actually think of killing someone. That was what saddened the man the most: The determination to kill. The determination to kill while living in a land that Simon saw as a paradise with all the nice people around. He was glad that his stunt worked, for Shizuo put the car down and prepared himself for the punch that was coming from the taller male, stopping the fist that flew at him with his own palm.

Watching the two fight, Izaya sighed "Boring~ And here I thought that Shizu-chan would finally act on my will and that I can finally like him. Nooope~ I hate everyone who endangers my precious plans...", he hummed, jumping down from the balcony and disappearing into the crowd, letting the two men fight. He had no intention on staying longer when Simon was around since it wouldn't do any good. He liked Simon enough to not interfere with the Russian's life and Shizuo wouldn't be able to unleash his full force with Simon around since the man would definitely stop his friend. Izaya hummed to himself and mumbled something in Russian, dialling Namie's number. He needed to know if she still was in the office or not, for right then he wanted to be alone to think of a way to make Shizuo lose his humanity. He hated Shizuo, not for him being a monster but for being a monster who tried to act like a human, a monster who was inside a human body but lost its human mind. He couldn't stand that that man wasn't quite a monster yet...but he had already lost his humanity for sure...

"Oh, Namie-san~ You can have the evening off, I won't be doing any business today. See you on Monday then~", he said.

Apparently she had already left since her brother has called her. How sad that such a strong woman like her crumbles down when her brother calls. Love makes weak; love for a specific person makes weak. If you love all the people however, you are able to understand this world, you are able to tie the strings of fate together or tear them, that is what Izaya believed. He believed that his love to humans is what made him wise and strong since wisdom is power. And so he made his way back to the apartment in an almost dancing motion. As he walked down the streets, he watched all the people pass by and repeated all their names in his head, making sure he knew everyone in Ikebukuro and to his very delight, he did. He whistled and entered the apartment complex and after making sure that the ex-bartender and his eternal subject of hate didn't follow him, he used the elevator to get to the top floor.

"Really, to be so blunt and want to kill me at my house?", he sighed, unlocking the door and entering the office before locking the door behind him and turning on the computer.

He needed to relax a bit, so he hovered the cursor over the chat thumbnail, double-clicking it and logging in.

-Kanra has entered the chat-

-Tanaka Taro gas entered the chat-

-Setton has entered the chat-

_Kanra: Heeey, everyone!~ ~ ~ __Have you heard the news?_(｡´∀｀)ﾉ

_Tanaka Taro: What news?_

_Setton: You aren't talking about some rumours again, Kanra-san?_

_Kanra: No, I have seen it myself! Shizuo and Simon are fighting! So scaryyy~~ _(´Д｀)

_Tanaka Taro: Eh?! Really?! That Simon from the sushi restaurant and Shizuo Heiwajima _('◇')?

_Kanra: Exactly~ Bingo~_

_Setton: W-What?! Sorry, I need to check something._

-Setton has left the chat-

_Kanra: Bye-bye-be~ Setton-san~ I'll be leaving too, I need to take care of something~_

_Tanaka Taro: Eh?! So soon? Alright then, Kanra-san. See you around!_

_-_Kanra has left the chat-

"I guess that fight was more entertaining than I thought.", the information broker thought to himself as he leaned back in his chair and pulled out a miniature chess board, taking a white king and a black king out, then taking out a white rook as well. "So, if Shizu-chan and myself are kings, Simon has to be a rook, always protecting that monster...Maybe I could get Mairu and Kururi to distract Simon while I make Shizu-chan angry at me..." He hummed and frowned in thought, placing the two kings so that they faced each other on one end of the chess board and placing the rook onto the other side of the chessboard. "Maybe I should lure Shizu-chan out of Ikebukuro...", he hummed, turning back to his computer and researching on the major festivals that would be happening during the next days. "Sushi festival? Really? That will for sure hold Simon off...", he said, knocking two pawns who represented Mairu and Kururi off the chessboard. He hated being dependant on people and he absolutely loved when his plans worked the way he wanted them to, which they now did. His expression of excitement over how perfect the timing of the festival was set was a small giggle at first, but it soon turned into a happy loud laughter, growing more maniacal as he spun around in his chair.

"I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so excited!~~", he sang, hopping off of his chair to approach the huge window front. He loved his office since from here he could observe his beloved humans by both looking at them and gathering information. His slim figure was mirrored in the window due to how dark it has become outside, yet he still could see the busy streets and even saw Simon walk back to the restaurant. "Shizu-chan will become a monster this time and I will be able to live a happy life. I will have a proper reason to hate him once he stopped being human. But for now, I'll gather some more information..~", he said to himself, re-entering the chat.

-Kanra has entered the chat-

-Heiwa Hei has entered the chat-

"Hmm? Peace and Abuse? He is certainly using the kanji for 'abuse'... weird person...", the raven said with a smirk.

_Kanra: Welcoooome~ _(ノ^∇^)

_Heiwa Hei: Thanks. My brother told me to try this thing out._

_Kanra: I see~ I hope you like it here._

-Tanaka Taro has entered the chat-

_Tanaka Taro: Good evening. I see you are back, Kanra-san._

_Kanra: Eveniiing, Tanaka-san~ We have a new member~ _(。⌒∇⌒)。

_Heiwa Hei: 'Evening. _

_Tanaka Taro: Aaah, welcome, Heiwa-san!_

_Heiwa Hei: Thank you, I hope we get along well._

_Kanra: We certainly will~_

_Heiwa Hei: I doubt so, Kanra-san. I already do not like you._

-Heiwa Hei has left the chat-

_Kanra: Hey, Tanaka-san! I think I know who Heiwa-san is. _

_Tanaka Taro: Really?! So fast?!_

_Kanra: Yeah. Heiwajima Shizuo. Only Shizu-chan would be so angry and choose such a stupid name._

-Kanra has left the chat-

"How annoying. Did Shizu-chan have to interfere with my best information source?", Izaya groaned in annoyance, stretching a bit and yawning before he shut his computer off. Just two more days and his plan would be complete. He went to the bedroom, changing into his black pyjamas and crawling under his blanket of his king-size bed. He lived on the same floor on which his office was and having the same big window front in his bedroom. Tomorrow he would gather everything to make his plan of making Shizuo lose humanity come true. He closed his eyes which had a light crimson shine in them and smirked as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day he would avoid the former bartender as much as possible, getting a gun from one of the Mafia members in exchange for valuable information before he made his way back to Shinjuku. He would lure the blond out to the most populated parts of Shinjuku and make sure he kills people, make sure he kills women and children, make sure he will regret that day his whole life. He smirked as he sat on the rooftop of an old building, watching people look up to him and humming. If he wouldn't act as predicted, he'd just shoot the other down.

"That's how it should be. My beloved humans should all look up to me as I watch them~ For I will awaken the Valhalla again.", he hummed, jumping from the building, safely landing on a balcony and jumping to the ground from there. "This is a reason for a small celebration~", he said to himself as he made his way back to Ikebukuro and to Russian Sushi.

"Welcome! Welcome! Izaya-kun, long time no seen! What did you do to Shizuo, huh?", he asked, his face changing from his usual happy smile to a frown. "Whoa! How mean. I didn't do anything, he started chasing me and wanted to kill me. I just defended myself.", he said, only half-lying and letting the taller male show him to his seat."I don't believe you, Izaya, but well...I can't blame you without any evidence. Here, your tuna sushi."

"Thanks, Simon~", the information broker said with a smile, eating his sushi, already celebrating Shizuo Heiwajima's downfall. It would be much more fun than just killing him, he would break Shizuo from inside...no, he would let the man inwardly self-destruct. However, he also knew that he shouldn't spend this much time in the restaurant since there was a danger of the former bartender to come here after work. He still didn't eat too quickly, he wanted to enjoy his day off. He looked up to the ceiling, smiling as he leaned onto the wall behind him. "Today is a great day, right, Simon?", he asked as the Russian returned to collect the empty dishes and the money.

"I am not sure if I can trust this smile...", Simon said honestly, shaking his head. "But I suggest you get out of here, Shizuo is outside and smoking. If he were to find you here, the restaurant would be destroyed and tomorrow is the sushi festival so I have to make sure everything is okay."

"Alright, thank you, Simon.", Izaya said with a grin, getting up and surprising the Russian he opened the window and hopped outside through it in a swift motion as if he has never been in this room. The door of the restaurant flung open the second Izaya left. The blond tall muscular male in the bartender outfit entered the building with a growl.

"Has Izaya been here? It stinks of him.", he said, yet sat down in exactly the same place in which the information broker has been sitting just a minute ago. „But well, I don't care right now, I am hungry." Simon nodded "What would you like to eat?""The cheapest sushi, please. I am in debt for destroying street signs...and houses...and streets in general.", Shizuo said, taking off his sunglasses.

The Russian shook his head in disapproval: "Didn't I say you that you should try and stay calm? Izaya _wants_ you to get angry so you become miserable."

"Yeah, yeah, I have heard that yesterday already. I don't think so. The only way to end all this madness is to kill the flea once and for all.", he replied with a frown.

Even though Simon disapproved of this way of thinking, he didn't say anything else until Shizuo finished eating. He sighed. "Shizuo. Let's make it that way: Behave calm at first. If Izaya doesn't change, you still can kill him, right?" He was sure that by being composed Shizuo would be victorious while if he used violence and tried to kill the informant, he would just be the monster that Izaya always calls him..

The blond didn't plan on doing it, but to calm his friend down he nodded "I'll think about it."

"See, you were just hungry. Now you are all better, I see. Good, good.", the taller man gave him a happy smile, not noticing that his friend lied.

* * *

The next day came around and a huge crowd of people gathered around the sushi restaurant, some of the people were dressed as fish. Shizuo's brother was also there, he was there with a filming crew to make a report about the restaurant Simon worked at. Seeing how Kasuka interviewed the owner of the restaurant and Simon, Izaya grinned and searched for a certain blond with his eyes. Of course, he would be standing there, watching the only human who ever loved him. He wouldn't stare at his brother directly but glance at him from the corner of his eyes, nervously pushing his sunglasses back and feeling guilty. It wasn't hard to find Shizuo since all the other people were head over heels into Kasuka, staring at him as at some kind of deity. And the tall blond was the only one who didn't look to the actor. So, the dark-haired male approached his target and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, Shizzy~", he said, giving him a toothily grin that looked happy but was fake.

"Izaya...", Shuzuo growled lowly, glaring at the shorter male and already raised his fist to punch the other, but as always, the informant was faster. He ducked quickly and left a cut on Shizuo's arm with his trusted jackknife. Being sure that it was enough to make the other chase him, he ran away, as the monster followed him.

"Stop running and face me like a man for once, you damned flea!", the man roared out, quickly grabbing a lantern and breaking it down before throwing it after Izaya, yet the other successfully dodged the thrown object. Now there was about 50 meters distance between them and they were at the outskirts of Ikebukuro already, approaching Shinjuku. That is when the two stopped. Shizuo was looking as mad as he did yesterday, much to Izaya's liking. However, it was still not enough.

"Are you growing old, poor monster?~", he asked, teasing Shizuo more so that the other would be determined to catch up.

Snap. There goes another street sign which Shizuo starts trying to hit Izaya with. The dark-haired male has waited for the blond to catch up with him before continuing to run and jumping up onto a tourist bus. He was sure that the blond would be stupid...no, he would be enraged enough to break the bus. Inside the bus were many people, so if they died, even such a strong man as Shizuo is would break. The former bartender growled out again "COME DOWN THERE YOU STUPID PARASITE.", he said, yet waited no longer and let go of the traffic sign, lifting the bus and shaking it before throwing it against a house. Being dexterous, the information broker jumped off just in time before the bus collided with the wall and fell onto one side. Out of the broken windows of the bus, blood started sipping. The two rivals stood there in silence, letting screams and pained moans resonate through the alleys. An arm poked out from under the bus, making last twitching movements before holding perfectly still. As if to underline the gruesomeness of the scene, the blood trickled down to a gutter and after coating the metal grate covering it, it started dripping down. A cry of a baby could be heard and being sure that Shizuo was shocked enough, Izaya put his jackknife back into his pocket and approached the bus, helping the survivors out, showing Shizuo the damage he caused. The people sighed and thanked Izaya, who right then looked like a saviour.

"Aren't you proud of yourself, Shizu-chan?", he asked in a mocking tone, smiling as he saw an expression of pure shock on the blond's face. "Don't move too much, I'll call an ambulance", the information broker said to the injured people, pulling his cellphone out and dialling the number. Meanwhile, the man in the bartender outfit understood that Simon was right. This scenery was exactly what Izaya planned. It was exactly how Simon said...he lost the last of his humanity..and he let the informant drag him into this. Yes, that was right, he was jealous of Izaya. He envied him for being able to think clearly even when his life is in danger, he envied him for never getting angry. He envied the dark-haired male for staying calm even after seeing so many injured people. Yet, on the other hand, he was furious. It angered him that Izaya could use human lives for his dirty plans. He hated how the flea had no value for human lives and yet said such things like _'I love humans'._ He turned around and made his way home. He wanted to hide, he was scared of himself. What his face had shown wasn't shock any more, it was regret, sadness and anxiety.

* * *

After Izaya helped his beloved humans into the hospital and got praise from the nurses and doctors there, he headed home and laughed happily. _Shizuo is such an idiot. He's such a monster~ _He hummed happily and was about to enter the apartment complex, yet he noticed someone standing in front of the door. Which, to his surprise was Shizuo. Shouldn't the man be devastated and determined to leave him alone? Ah, well. He snuck up to the bartender and placed a cold can of coke to the other's neck, almost making him jump.

"Izaaaayaaa...", he growled again.

"Why are you here, Shizu-chan~? Did you come to hang out with me?", he teased, knowing the answer well.

Just as Shizuo was about to shout and punch the informant, he remembered the incident that happened just three hours ago, he remembered the blood on the concrete, he remembered the moans and groans of pain...the cry of the baby. Then he remembered Simon's words. He would try to stay calm, yes. That was it. "Maybe I came here to hang out with you, yes." he said, snatching the coke away from the informant, catching him off-guard. The blond's facial expression softened and he popped the coke can open, drinking some. It was indeed a good feeling to see Izaya look at him with wide, surprised eyes. Somehow, this surprised look made him forget the gruesome act that he had done, for he made Izaya lose his calm. That didn't last long, though, since Izaya sighed dramatically and nodded: "Since we are both in the Dollars, I shall agree to your weird offer. Or maybe you just want to kill me in my apartment? Then it's too bad since there is nothing heavy enough to kill me there.", he said, opening the door and heading to the elevator, not caring if the blond followed him or not. He never would give in and just let Shizuo kill him when he wasn't watching. As much as he loved humans and was okay with humans treating him like crap, he wouldn't let a monster backstab him by acting like a human. He opened the door to his office and raised an eyebrow as he saw that his computer was on. Hurrying over to it, he checked why it was on, but remembered that he hurried this morning and left the computer switched on to update the software. He couldn't have tolerated it if somebody would have touched his computer. It was his holy information source and nobody except himself had a right to touch it, not a single one of his beloved humans. While the information broker completely forgot about the ex-bartender who entered the house with him and leaned back in relief and relaxation, Shizuo looked around the office and noticed a Chinese Go-board. As he was about to ask if Izaya would like to play a round of Go with him, he noticed that there were chess pieces on it, along with reversi chips. And the constellation of those figures has shown that they weren't just put onto the board on a whim but were participating in an actual game.

"What rules do you play by, you flea?", Shizuo asked.

It wasn't said in a hate-filled voice, it was more an act of pure curiosity, yet it made Izaya jump a little. How could he forget that the blond was still here? He sighed and took off his jacket, shaking his head. "So, why exactly did you follow me?", he asked with an unusually serious face. His famous cocky, mocking smile was gone and he was seemingly not in the mood for visits.

Shizuo took off his sunglasses and looked at his enemy, sighing "Are the people alright? I mean the ones that I hurt.", he asked, regret appearing on his face again.

"Yeah, except for the four that you killed.", the dark-haired male replied, grinning again. Apparently, his good mood was back. "No, really, Shizu-chan. Why are you here..I'm tired and I would like to relax a little.", he said honestly, grinning. "If you really are a human and no monster, you will leave me alone now, right~?", he asked, making Shizuo widen his eyes. Yet, he knew that if he acted in a way Izaya would never expect him to, he would completely disturb the shorter male's peace. And that was his aim, to completely outwit Izaya.

He approached the small kitchen area that was containing out of a small fridge, a teapot and a sink. He started cooking tea for his enemy with a smile. Why? Just to piss him off. "If you are tired, relax. I'll make you tea and you can sit back and do whatever you like."

Izaya didn't know what to think of this development. Sure, it was nice to have someone take care of him since he usually was alone...but shouldn't Shizuo try to kill him or something? Shouldn't he be the heartless monster? That kind of development wasn't to his liking. He didn't want Shizuo to become human. He was supposed to be a beast, a heartless person who cared about nothing else than his instincts.

"How annoying~", he just said, turning back to his computer and entering the chat, trying to ignore the other. It was hard however, since after Shizuo has given him tea, he walked up behind Izaya and looked over his shoulder. "Shizu-chan. Peeking isn't nice.", he said as if teaching a little child. Technically, for the dark-haired male, the blond was something like a child. Why? Because animals were almost like children, unable to control their feelings. Ignoring the comment, Shizuo sighed "No wonder I didn't like 'Kanra'.", he said, frowning a bit, making Izaya chuckle "I knew that only Shizu-chan could choose such a stupid name like 'Heiwa Hei', I mean come on.", he hummed, chatting with Mikado and still trying to ignore the blond hovering behind him which got even harder as the taller leaned down and sniffed Izaya's hair.

"What are you doing? Have you finally turned into an animal, Shizu-chan?", the informant tilted his head back, looking into his enemy's brown eyes with a cocky grin.

"I was just thinking that you don't stink like you usually do. But maybe it's because I'm in your office and everything here stinks?", the former bartender said with a smirk of his own.

"So you still _are _a monster. It's good to know.", he said, turning around in his chair to properly face the other. "Now get out of my apartment before I get the stupid idea of killing you, yes?"

"That's my line, I'm really close to breaking this window front and throwing you down.", he growled, but Izaya cut his growl off by pointing a jackknife right to his neck. "This should be your line too, but if you are prepared to kill, be ready to be killed.", he said, narrowing his eyes which looked crimson in the light of the office. "Now get out.", he added in a cold voice, standing up and forcing Shizuo back and out to the door. He kind of knew that after the deaths the taller male caused today, the death threats of his were empty. And he was glad that it was like this, since he was finally able to force the other out and lock the door behind him. "I really hate Shizu-chan."

After he was finally alone, the informant took the cup of tea made by Shizuo and sniffed it, making sure that it wasn't poisoned or anything. "Well, at least he made me some tea. Though he should have poisoned it...right?", he hummed, taking a sip. It was good, which made Izaya smile a bit. "Maybe I should hire Shizu-chan as my secretary?", he asked himself as a joke, laughing happily and not bothering to say his goodbyes, he left the chat again and walked over to his game, moving the white king closer to the black one and putting the white rook behind. "Yes, Shizu-chan is certainly a king. He is the first who managed to surprise me, which is why I hate him this much."

He finished his tea and put the cup into the sink, turning his computer off and sighing as he just took off his shirt and someone knocked on the door.

"Izaya, if you don't open, I'll break the door down. I forgot my glasses."

The dark-haired male frowned and took his jackknife with him, taking the sunglasses which were carelessly left on the countertop as well and opened the door a bit, handing the other the sunglasses. "Take them and leave, I'm actually thinking of going to sleep, like _humans _usually do, you know?~", he asked. Shizuo couldn't help but stare at the paler male's bare torso for a split second. He didn't have any scars or bruises despite the many times they fought. "You are trying so hard to be like humans, Izaya...but in reality, you are the monster.", he said, taking his glasses, putting them on and taking his leave, leaving a confused and annoyed Izaya behind.

"Calling me a monster? Shizuo must have hit his head while fighting.", the information broker said, going to the bathroom to take a shower. It was sad that Shizuo didn't turn into a monster like he expected. On the contrary, the blond has learned to control his anger, which was the worst outcome for Izaya. If his enemy were to become human, he couldn't be his enemy any more, for the dark-haired male loved the human kind. Punching the wall, Izaya gritted his teeth "I hate him so much. Why does he never act as I plan him to? Damn it."

Shizuo went straight to Simon after that to thank him. This was the most effective way to win against Izaya, to make is plans backfire. He smiled happily, like he never did. He finally managed it. Sure, he hated Izaya for using people for his wicked plans, but thanks to this trauma, Shizuo managed to suppress his anger. It was something that he always wanted to achieve. And so, this achievement was both, thanks to Simon and Izaya. So, he would at least thank one of them.

"Shizuo! Long time no seen! You seem so happy, is it because you want sushi?"

"Kind of. I wanted to thank you. The strategy you suggested worked out perfectly.", he said, nodding.

"Oh? Great, Shizuo! Violence is a go-no, so if you are nice to people, people will return your kindness, it is kind of a domino effect, you know?"

"Hmm..So if I am nice to them..", he repeated for himself, smirking a bit. He would try just being nice to Izaya. That would either work like Simon said it would or he would get to see a pissed off Izaya...both ways, it would be great. "Thank you, Simon.", he said, patting his friend's shoulder and walking on. Tomorrow would be a new day and he would try the strategy out. The blond headed for his own apartment and sighed at how tiny and run-down it looked compared to Izaya's high-tech, modern and huge apartment. His was basically a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom, nothing more. All together, they were as big as Izaya's office alone. He didn't even try to imagine how big the flea's bedroom was. He sighed and brushed his teeth, heading off to sleep. Next morning after work...should he invite Izaya to sushi? Or bring him tea again? What could he do to change the flea, to help him become human too? With these thoughts, he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of peace in Ikebukuro, dreaming of him and Izaya cooperating to eliminate all the conflicts between the gangs. That would be a nice life. Why was it this hard to cooperate? Was it too much to ask?

* * *

A new day came around and Izaya woke up from a nightmare. He dreamed that he was the only one in that city who wasn't human. He dreamed that every single person called him a monster. He was fine being treated like trash since it was also a way of expressing love, yet being called a monster by his beloved humans meant that he would be feared by everyone, just like Shizuo and Celty. "It is all his fault for calling me a monster...", the informant thought, glancing at his watch, it was still too early to get up since his meeting was three hours away, yet he also couldn't fall asleep again. Thus, he stood up, put a pair of black jeans, a black shirt with a V-neck and, his favourite jacket on and walked up to the window front. "Will that nightmare come true? It can't be. I am not strong enough to be feared because of that and there are enough smart people around, so why...?" He watched the city slowly awaken with a remorseful feeling. "I will make sure he's dead. I need Shizuo Heiwajima dead..", he muttered, not looking like himself at all. His usually cheerful grin was gone and his eyes looked cold and distant. Maybe it was because he didn't want a change in his relationship with Shizuo. He sighed and turned on his computer. Maybe Mikado would be online and would say something stupid enough to cheer him up? He entered the chat.

-Kanra has entered the chat-

_Kanra: Hello~ Is anyone here~?_

_Heiwa Hei: Oh, it's you._

_Kanra: Never mind that, I'm leaving..._

Shizuo was the last person whom Izaya wanted to see.

_Heiwa Hei: Wait! Izaya. Come with me to Russian Sushi after I finish work?_

_Kanra: What gives? Why are you suddenly so nice to me? If you think that I wouldn't find it suspicious, either you are an idiot or think I am one._

_Heiwa Hei: What's so wrong in wanting to become human?_

That question caught the informant off guard and he didn't know what to say. So, he started a private chat with Shizuo, just leaving one more message.

_Kanra: Because if you were human, I'd have to love you too._

-Kanra has left the chat-

Shizuo laughed as he walked on the streets with Tom, leaving the chat and putting his cellphone into his pocket. "Did you know that Izaya is extremely funny once you make his plans backfire?" Tom tilted his head in confusion "Izaya? Are you talking about Izaya Orihara? No way. You used to hate him more than your own superhuman strength!"

The blond nodded "I know, but hatred only causes violence and violence causes more violence. I finally understood it...no, that's not quite right. I always understood it, but now I know the consequences of violence."

The great Izaya has become afraid. He would never show it to anyone, yet he did his best to be nice to the customer that morning. He wanted the humanity to stay dependent on him and he wanted to be loved by the humanity just as much as he loved the humans. He even was nice to Namie, making her worry about him. Sure, she only made teasing remarks, but Izaya knew that she tried to start a conversation this way. He felt bad for making others worry since he always has been an independent, strong person who has never shown any weaknesses. "Sorry, Namie, I'll go lay down for a few. Would you wake me up in about three hours if I fall asleep?" After earning a nod from the woman, he smiled, thanking her. He needed to be alone.

* * *

Shizuo made his way to Izaya's house after he was done with work. The flea said that he couldn't let himself fall for him, yet he never declined the offer to go eat sushi together. So, the former bartender approached the all too familiar apartment complex and rang the doorbell. To his surprise, a female voice spoke to him "Good evening, what can I help you with?" The blond cleared his throat and tried to overcome the slight shock he was in. Izaya lived with a woman? Was it his girlfriend? As he finally got the ability to speak back, he sighed "Is Izaya at home? If yes, tell him to come down. It's me, Shizuo."

"Alright, please hold on." A small buzzing sound resounded after that, indicating that the connection ended. Up on the top floor, Namie spoke to the information broker. "Since when did you start to care for the devil? Shizuo Heiwajima is downstairs and waits for you.", she teased. Surprisingly for her, Izaya stood up and kindly smiled at her. It was different from his usual mocking and mean grin. It felt like today Izaya was unable to do anything he usually did, so what happened next wasn't really surprising. "Thank you, Namie. Your paycheck is on the table, you can take it and call it a day for today. I need to talk something out.", the dark-haired male said, standing up and putting his jacket on before leaving the apartment.

The man in the bartender outfit was smoking his usual brand of cigarettes as he waited for the raven to come out. It sure was taking long, maybe the woman told him not to go since she knows him as the feared Shizuo Heiwajima or even as a monster. He thought that maybe it was a good idea to leave and forget the matter, yet he saw a familiar slim figure walk out of the building. He was about to make a teasing remark about him being late since his girlfriend made him spend some more time with her, but noticed how sad the usually cheerful and laid-back male was. "Hey...Izaya, what's wrong?", he asked in an honestly worried tone. Now that he thought about it...he knew nothing about the young information broker beside..well, the fact that he earned money by selling information. "Let's talk about it at Russian Sushi, yes?", the raven asked and smiled a slight bit "I'll treat you since I know that you have huge debts and your rent is pretty high for such a miniature apartment too.", he said, walking to the restaurant after jamming his hands into his pockets. It was really unnerving to the taller of the two that his enemy knew that much about him. Apparently, the flea even knew where his apartment was and what it looked like from inside. While he, himself only knew where Izaya lived because everyone in Ikebukuro did. And if he hadn't forced himself upon Izaya a day ago, he wouldn't even have imagined how huge the apartment is. It really made him angry that the informant knew that much about him while he knew absolutely nothing beside the obvious. Well, Izaya was called 'God' by some people since he knew everything, yet still...

"Shizu-chan, don't space out, we arrived at the restaurant. Remember, we wanted to eat sushi and talk about how much of a monster you are.", the dark-haired male said, trying to tease his enemy, yet his voice wasn't quite like it was before, his face had a hint of fear written on it.

"Oh, right. Thanks Izaya. Yet I doubt that you look sad and scared because I am a monster.", the blond said, holding back his anger, causing the shorter male to sigh. "You changed, Shizu-chan. Usually I just have to smile to make you angry, but today, no nicknames can make you lose your calm..."

Shizuo didn't reply right away, letting Simon seat them. A few people turned their heads to stare at the two in shock. It was a commonly known fact that the two hated each other. So, seeing them peacefully eat sushi together was quite like witnessing the end of the world. Finally, the blond sighed and shook his head. "You changed as well, Izaya. Usually, you would either laugh at me for inviting you out or try to kill me while we eat. And now look at you, as peaceful as ever. I do not mind you being peaceful, but looking sad is something that doesn't fit you. So tell me, what made you change in such a short period of time?" After this question there was silence at first. Izaya didn't know how to explain a thing that sounded stupid to a normal person. He was afraid. The raven started to fumble with his jacket, sighing. Simon luckily knew what the young information broker and the debt collector always ordered, so he didn't interfere with the conversation. "I am scared, Shizuo.", the paler male said, wrapping his hands around the teacup to keep them warm. "I am scared that the humans will hate me. It might sound ridiculous, but it is your fault. Remember, yesterday you said that I am a monster?" Shizuo nodded, caught off guard by the serious yet gentle tone that Izaya used. "Well, I had a nightmare. I usually do not mind not being loved, since hate is also a form of relationship, the pain that comes with the hate is also an expression of love. But if people are scared of me, they won't be able to hate me, nor will they be able to love me. This is exactly what makes me sad...no, that's not right, it scares me."

He expected the blond to laugh or to make a stupid remark, but the other didn't. Instead, Shizuo looked like he was in thought. "I doubt that will ever happen. You are needed in this city. As much as it hurts me to say that, I also owe you a lot. The city and all the humans in Ikebukuro are dependant on you and your information.", he said, even though he hated admitting it. "Really? I mean..you said that I am a monster because you have seen me shirtless and realized that I have no scars or bruises, right?", he asked, sighing. "You see what I mean by your information potential? Come on. Cheer up and just be as nice as you are now and humans will not only be dependant on you, they will love you as much as you love them." Izaya chuckled a bit at the reply "It's funny that I have to take advice from you, my biggest enemy. "

As Shizuo was about to say something, Simon returned with two sets of sushi. "Izaya, eat sushi, it's good for your stomach, it's good for your mood!", he said with a grin, making the informant smile "Thank you, Simon.", he said with a small chuckle, watching the Russian leave. "You know, Izaya..", Shizuo said with a smile of his own "As funny as it is that you take advices from me, it's funnier to see that we are actually able to be in one room without killing eachother."

Izaya ate a piece of tuna sushi and gave Shizuo cocky, daring and self-confident grin. "That will pass. We are unable to co-exist in peace, believe me." The taller male shook his head "I don't believe you. We are acting quite peacefully and were acting like that yesterday evening." Izaya started laughing loudly. "Either you are practising for a new job as a comedian or are trying to cheer me up, either way, the joke is good, Shizu-chan. I was thinking of killing you this morning. You know why I do not do this? Because you are precious to some humans and humans are precious to me." That was what ended their conversation. Izaya paid for them both as promised and walked out of the restaurant.

No matter what he said, Shizuo did manage to cheer him up and it was quite nice talking to him, since it really helped to talk about the problems rather than bottle everything up like he usually did. And he really took into consideration to be nicer to at least some humans, even if it would be just Namie, Simon and Mikado. He supposed that it was time to follow the advice he had once given to Mikado, he had to keep evolving in order to escape the everyday life. He didn't want to escape from everyday life in general, but he wanted to make sure that his everyday life wouldn't be the same that he saw in his dream and he hoped that the former bartender was right. Maybe the humans would love him back if he would show his love to them the slightest bit. As he was so deep in thought, he didn't notice that somebody was following him. The information broker wasn't heading straight home that evening, he decided that the time has come to awaken Valhalla in a new way. Why hasn't he thought of it? If he gave the head back to its body, the legend would awaken on itself. Why he didn't think of it was simple. He was too smart and loved thrilling theatre-like sceneries too much for such a simple solution like that to be accepted. Yet he realized that it was the most rational thing to do. He headed to a small shed in the outskirts of Ikebukuro, still not noticing a creature with glowing red eyes until it started chanting "I won't...let you...love Heiwajima Shizuo. Mother loves Heiwajima...love..love...I cut for love."

Jumping up to dodge the blade aimed at him, Izaya looked at the attacker. "No way..a Slasher spawn attacks me? You know, you can have Shizuo, I only love humans anyway. Besides, if you still want to fight, you'll need the real Saika. I hate you for controlling my beloved humans, you know~?", he teased as he kept dodging the attacks. They were different from other slash incidents since they didn't aim to control him but they aimed to kill him. "What a pain. I can't even fight you properly right now because of Shizu-chan." The attacker stopped his movements for a moment, yet more slasher spawns appeared, much to Izaya's disliking. "It would be stupid to die like this.", he said, sighing as he pulled out his cell and entered the chat there while running from the slashers. He hated the situation. He could run back to the city and be safe this way by getting lost in the crowd, yet he didn't want that. He would risk the slashers increasing in number and he would risk innocent lives. "I hate being dependent on others...", he said, hoping that anyone would be online, even Mikado would be a help right then.

-Kanra entered the chat-

_Kanra: help me! I'm being attacked by the Slasher. Running towards the Shinjuku forest now._

-Kanra left the chat-

He didn't even bother to look if somebody replied, since he believed in fate, if nobody would see this in time, he would be dead...by the hands of a monster possessing his beloved humans. He couldn't stand both situations. He couldn't stand asking people for help, but he wouldn't be able to accept death by the hands of a monster, ever. He ran on and on, due to the panic that he was experiencing for the first time in his life, his stamina wasn't quite as good as it usually was. He had known that if somebody wouldn't come soon, it would be the end. The slashers were pretty fast for a horde of zombies, Izaya thought as he quickened his running pace, jumping up onto a tree, glad that he had reached the Shinjuku forest. The slashers started climbing the tree and some of them started shaking it or tearing it down. There was even a slasher with a chainsaw?! Izaya swallowed loudly and knew that if there was a chainsaw, the tree would fall, killing some people, so he jumped onto the next tree and jumped down from there, continuing to run. Even with Celty's bike, it would take about 20 minutes to come to Shinjuku...and then they had to find the forest too...

"Fuck..", he cursed, running further into the forest until he found a dead end. "Under construction...eh?", he frowned, glancing back and seeing that there were only 10 meters between him and the attackers. Still, he started climbing the high fence as quickly as he could, which wasn't quick enough, apparently. Someone grabbed his leg and dragged him down, making him cling to the fence tighter as he looked down and tried to kick the attacker away when more and more hands grabbed his leg and pulled down, some grabbed his jacket and pulled with full force. Izaya didn't want to use violence on humans...even if it meant saving his own life. So, he tried to pull himself up and kick everyone away...this didn't work. On the contrary, it was exactly like quicksand. The more he struggled, the more the slasher horde has dragged him down. Some of them pulled out their knives and scissors out and started stabbing his legs, making sure that Izaya couldn't run properly anymore even if he did manage to pull himself up. Still fighting the force that was dragging him down, Izaya teared up a little. Someone of the slasher horde had twisted the knife which has been stabbed into his leg. He was so close to the top of the fence...yet, the slasher with the chainsaw made the hope of getting to the top vanish, cutting the piece of fence under the informant's legs away, making sure that he had no more halt on the fence with his feet. The pain and the force dragging him down eventually became too big and he fell from the fence and the slashers gathered around him, stabbing into his chest, arms, shoulders and leaving deep wounds and cuts. The worst for Izaya was the fact that he wasn't quite dead yet and felt every single bit of pain. "Ah...I want this to be over...", he moaned out, blood staining his clothes and flowing out of his slightly parted thin lips. He closed his eyes and smiled a little. "Humans sure love me...", he mumbled to cheer himself up a little, coughing up more blood and sighing as he heard an all too familiar neigh of a horse and a roaring, deep voice. So now they show up..

"_Heiwajima Shizuo..." _

"_Love me..." _

"_Love me..." _

"_Love me..." _

"_I cut because I love..." _

"_Stronger love.." _

"_Mother..."_

"Ahh, the flea always causes trouble...I am the only one who has a right to kill you, Izaya!", Shizuo called out, pulling out a tree with its roots and swinging it in a motion which would gather all the slashers without killing them...just breaking their legs. After he was done, all slashers were stuck in a sitting position with their backs against the fence and a tree laying on their legs, preventing them from standing up again. Some of them still made slashing movements in the air, but none of them could actually hit Shizuo. Celty, even though she didn't have a head, looked quite shocked and typed into her PDA "Shizuo, did you know that Kanra is Izaya?" The bartender nodded and approached the information broker. " Yeah, just like he knew that I'm Heiwa Hei.", he said, taking a look at the paler male. To summarize it, he looked horrible. His shirt and jacket were torn to shreds, revealing a badly bleeding chest. His pants didn't look any better, one pant leg was completely torn off. The face of the informant looked paler than usual, his lips were covered in blood and his cheeks were wet from tears of pain. However, Izaya still opened his eyes a bit and looked to Celty, using his remaining strength to raise an arm and motion her to come closer, coughing up blood. As the dullahan came closer, he pointed to the beginning of the woods, smiling weakly, his voice hoarse from all the blood he swallowed "Your head...", he said before coughing even more blood, his eyes becoming half-lidded and dull. "I won't...make it...", he said, smiling at the two "Thank you..."

Shizuo frowned and slapped Izaya's cheek. "Don't you dare pass out on me, flea!", he roared, taking the shorter male into his arms. "Celty, could you please bring him to Shinra? I'd love to bring him there myself, but your bike is faster than my feet.", he said. Why did he even care that Izaya died? Didn't he want him dead? The whole act irritated him immensely. The dullahan nodded and typed into her PDA "Understood, put him onto my bike behind me, I'll hold him tight with my shadows." After Celty got onto her motorcycle, the blond did as he was told to and put the limp body of the dark-haired male behind the headless woman and a slim shadow string instantly wrapped around Izaya's body. "Thank you.", Shizuo said, smiling at the fairy and she took off, the former bartender was soon to follow her...after he retrieved her head from a shed which stood alone at the forest outskirts. He broke down the door and took the container with the head out, heading to Ikebukuro, to the house of a certain doctor. Ringing the doorbell, he wasn't surprised that Celty was the one to open the door for him. He smiled at her and put the container with the head ontop of a counter. "How is he?", he asked, trying not to sound too worried. The dullahan was staring at her head, so it took quite a while before she finally realized that Izaya was the priority right then. She quickly typed into the PDA : "Ah, sorry...Shinra says that he will live. However, we tied him to the bed since he could have become a slasher too.."

Shizuo looked quite shocked about the last bit, but smiled. "Izaya to be possessed? No way! That flea would more likely be possessing others than let somebody take control of his body." Or so he said, but he was truly concerned about Izaya. He walked further in and searched for Shinra to ask him if it was okay to see the dark-haired male. After gaining approval and hearing a long lecture about how hard it was to fix Izaya's body, the former bartender entered the guest room where the informant slept peacefully, held in place by Celty's shadow strings. He had bandages all over his body, his skin was pale, contrasting the dark rings under his eyes. There was no IV-infusion or heart-rate monitor like in a conventional hospital, but he knew that Shinra was aware of his own medical skills and wouldn't leave him here if he knew that the state was too critical. The blond smiled a bit "I'm glad that you are as tough as me. But you changed for the good, so I won't say that you are a monster because of your toughness.", he said in a soft voice, letting the younger male rest. Just as he was about to leave, he glanced back once more and said with a more angry expression: "Just don't get possessed or I will beat the crap out of you.", he added, leaving the room. "Thanks for taking care of him, Shinra.", he said, waving. Celty was sitting on the couch with the container with her head on her lap, staring at it as if she held a silent conversation with it. "I guess both, the information broker and the courier are not available for a while. Well then, see you!", he said, heading to the dark-haired male's apartment. Sure, it was idiotic of him, but he needed to let the flea's girlfriend know that he was hospitalized. Plus, Izaya would probably need new clothes once his wounds heal completely.

As he finally arrived at the apartment complex Izaya lived in, he started asking himself why he cared so much. He was happy for Celty that she got her head back, but he didn't question it further or show his happiness much. He didn't even congratulate her on this achievement. Yet, Izaya, whom he hated, wanted dead and simply despised as a human being in a critical state bothered him. He didn't know why or when he started actually caring and not just acting like he cared...but now here he was, standing in front of the door. He rang the bell and a female voice, the same voice that was heard that morning resounded. "Izaya-san, did you forget your key again? Really? I just returned since I forgot my cell phone, but here you go." A buzzing sound indicated that the door unlocked. Not caring to say that he wasn't Izaya, the former bartender entered the building and used the elevator to come up to the top floor, finding the door of Izaya's apartment open. He entered it and not looking at who the woman was, he started talking "I am sorry miss, but I have to be the bearer of the bad news. Orihara Izaya has been hospitalized. I assume that he was your boyfriend..."

"Heiwajima Shizuo, huh?", came the question from the woman "I didn't expect you to have such a crazy imagination. Izaya will probably die alone, I'd be surprised if anybody were to love him. Sure, he is very wise, but that's it. I assume you hospitalized him anyway. Thanks for that, I will have the next few days off then."

"What- Oh...Yagiri Namie, right? I saw you in the news once. So you work for Izaya, hmm..", he said mostly to himself, doing his best to control his anger. Saying thanks to somebody for hospitalizing a person? That was even more rotten than Izaya himself. He sighed and clicked his tongue in annoyance, growling "I'd like you to get out of here quickly before I destroy something."

The woman rolled her eyes, but said nothing else and left the office, leaving the blond male alone in the huge apartment. It took a while for Shizuo to calm down after that. And there he thought that Izaya was rotten, but that wasn't right. Everyone around him was too. Everyone was putting their needs before the other's. That was what was called 'human', huh? Then he'd rather stay a monster. As he thought all that, he searched for clothes that Izaya wore. He found some clothes that looked exactly the same as the ones got torn in the fight. Is it even called a fight if Izaya was attacked by hundreds of people and couldn't do anything? Well, to him it was...but then again, he had the power to fight a hundred people at once. He looked around in the information broker's bedroom and it was indeed huge. He was slightly jealous...but he could at least say that his flat was more comfy. Deciding to see how comfortable the bed was, he allowed himself to lay down, promising to just lay there for a minute to see how soft the bed was, but he failed. After about thirty seconds he felt sleepy and crawled under the blanket and not caring to take his bartender outfit off he fell asleep.

The morning came too quickly for the blond and he groaned at how bright it was. Why was it so bright? His bedroom didn't have such a big window and it always only shined in dim light...He rolled over and opened his eyes, finding himself in a huge room, sleeping on a king-sized bed and still holding Izaya's clothes close to his body. Then it finally hit him, he had to bring the clothing over to Shinra's before he went to work. He quickly jumped up, causing his vision to go blurry for a second, yet he quickly grabbed the clothing, the keys to the apartment and his sunglasses before leaving and locking the door behind him. "Shitshitshitshit-", he chanted, quickly running down the streets of Ikebukuro and ringing the doorbell at Shinra's, waiting for someone to open it. Shinra opened the door and Shizuo quickly handed him the clothing and the keys without any further word and waved a goodbye, running off to meet up with Tom.

As soon as Shinra closed the door, Izaya's voice resounded as he approached Shinra "Who was it~?", he asked curiously, yawning due to the painkiller's side effects. The doctor jumped "S-Shouldn't you be in bed?", he asked, looking at his friend. "Go and lay down, Izaya. You're still weak.", he said, handing the other the clothing "Shizuo brought this for you. You are lucky to have him on your side, you know?", he asked, heading into the kitchen. "Just stay in bed today, yes? I'll cook something for you so you don't die of starvation after you survived an attack.", he said causing Izaya to sigh in an over-dramatic motion "One does not die of starvation from one day of not eating." Shinra frowned "With a height of 175 centimetres and a weight of 58 kilograms, your BMI is around 19, meaning you are underweight. Underweight people are more likely to die of starvation by just not eating for a day, since they start to decompose their muscles, which is also known as..." He was interrupted by the paler male "Yeah, yeah, thanks, you nerd. I might be an information dealer, but this is too much, alright?", he joked and Shinra knew that he was joking since Izaya headed back to the bed prepared for him. "Thank you for taking care of me.", he said, causing Shinra to stare into the direction the voice came from for a few, not believing what the other just said.

After work, Shizuo headed straight back to check on Izaya, he didn't even know why. Why did he care? Why did he save him when he knew who 'Kanra' was? Why did he even bring him clothes and why did he get angry that Namie didn't care about him? He growled in anger, but not at Izaya, he was angry at himself, but he couldn't do anything else than keep walking to Shinra. He rang the doorbell and the door was opened by the doctor again, but this time, he made a sign to keep quiet by pressing an index finger to his lips as he let the blond in. Shizuo didn't ask this time and walked straight to the room where Izaya has been. The informant seemed to be fast asleep.

As soon as he approached the bed, the dark-haired male started chanting, his eyes still closed "Heiwajima...Shizuo...love...mother...wants to love.." as he got up from the bed in a swift motion, taking his jackknife from the nightstand, flipping it open and approaching the man in the bartender outfit. His eyes looked crimson once more, and he kept swinging the blade around.

"T-The hell..!", Shizuo growled, throwing a punch at the shorter male, which he easily dodged and started laughing, closing his jackknife. "Just kidding. As if I would let Saika possess me. I just wanted to greet you in a less boring way, Shizu-chan.", he said, chuckling as Shizuo threw a hate-filled look at him. "Don't frown so much, you'll get wrinkles.", he said, adding to the enraged look that Shizuo gave him. "But jokes aside...I wouldn't get possessed, since Saika had never the wish to take over my body and thus 'love' me. It wanted me dead so it could get to you.", he said, crawling back into his bed. "Also, I just wanted to say 'thank you' once again. Since..you know, you could have left me there to die.", he said, looking aside. He wasn't good at thanking people since he never depended on others before, others always depended on him and he would dump them in the most critical situation...he was glad that Shizuo didn't do that, he was glad that the blond has become human. The debt collector groaned in annoyance and hummed. "Nice to see you heal so fast, flea. I brought you some clothes that you can wear once you have healed completely. And, you should totally throw that worker of yours a.k.a. Namie Yagiri out. Just saying.", he said, turning to take his leave, not seeing a soft smile of gratitude that had formed on Izaya's lips. After hearing the entrance door close, the informant chuckled "Shizuo doesn't even realize how much he contradicts his own principles...", he hummed, laying back down with a happy smile and quickly falling asleep.

* * *

Shinra was glad that his friend was recovering quickly so he could live his everyday life with Celty in a week already. Izaya paid his friend for taking care of him and left with a happy smile, still having some bandages around his chest, but he was able to skip around in the town in a childish motion. Shizuo hasn't visited ever since the day that he gave him the advice of firing his secretary...which he probably would do anyway. Maybe he really should hire Shizuo as his secretary...? Nah, if he would fall into a blind rage, his office would be blown to smithereens. He walked up to the apartment complex and happily whistled as he used the elevator to reach the top floor and entered his apartment. It was nice to be back. He sat down in his chair and turned on his computer, grinning like a child on Christmas Eve. To share his joy with others, he entered the chat.

_-Kanra entered the chat-_

_-Tanaka Taro entered the chat-_

_-Setton entered the chat-_

_Tanaka Taro: Ah! Kanra-san! Are you alright? I heard you were attacked by the slasher...I was afk, so I couldn't get there in time.._

_Kanra: Yeees~ You won't believe me but I was saved by two urban legends!_

_Setton: Really?!_

"You are so bad at acting, Celty...but I won't comment on that.", the dark-haired male said with a grin.

_Kanra: Yes~ It was the headless biker and more importantly, Heiwajima Shizuo! Yes, the same Shizuo who destroyed the old museum building._

_Tanaka Taro (private): Uh, excuse me, Izaya-san, but if I am not mistaken Shizuo-san hated you._

_Kanra (private): It's funny that you call Shizzy "Shizuo-san". But no, he never hated me enough to let me die, apparently. _

_Tanaka Taro (private): Ah...I see_

_Setton: Oh! I wonder why they were in Shinjuku though. I doubt that such legends are using this app..._

_-Heiwa Hei has entered the chat-_

_Kanra: Greetings, Heiwa-saaan~_

_Heiwa Hei: Hello, Kanra. How are you doing? Are your wounds healed already? _

_Tanaka Taro: Wounds?!_

_Kanra: Ah- It's nothing serious. (Private to Heiwa Hei) He doesn't know anything, Shizu-chan. Try to be more subtile_

_Heiwa Hei: Be more subtile, you say?! Sorry that I even bothered to ask you how you are doing, Izaya._

_Kanra: Have you ever heard of a thing named "private message", Shizu-chan?! I mean come on!_

_Heiwa Hei: How often have I told you not to call me that name, flea?!_

_Tanaka Taro: Eh?-_

_Kanra: Oh shut up. And here I was thinking of thanking you. But I guess that your monster side has returned already._

_-Kanra has left the chat-_

_Heiwa Hei: Tche._

_-Heiwa Hei has left the chat-_

Sighing in annoyance, the information broker leaned back in his chair "Why is Shizu-chan so slow?", he asked, sighing in annoyance for the second time. As he heard familiar steps behind the door, he sat up in his usual motion and waited for Namie to come inside. He smirked as she gave him a disappointed look upon seeing him "I see that you are overflowing with motivation to work, Namie-san~", he commented with a sarcastic grin. "You are back, I see. Heiwajima Shizuo told me that you have been hospitalized." The information broker nodded "Bingo~ And you were happy about it I assume?", he asked, leaning back in his chair again, enjoying the look of utter surprise that he got "I love how predictable humans are. But you know, Shizu-chan also told me something interesting...he gave me the advice to fire you. And you know what? He's right, I'm firing you. Shizu-chan makes better tea than you do anyway. Now leave." He watched the female smile and take her leave. He was proud of himself for firing Namie in a way one would define as very Izaya-like. He spun around in his chair and started writing mails to his customers, telling them that an emergency occurred and that he is really sorry for not being able to meet up with them on the day the appointment was originally on. He asked them to meet up with him on one of the next days, smiling happily. Not even the stupidity of Shizuo could make this happiness fade today. He stood up and took his keys, walking out onto the streets to gather some more information. However, as soon as he approached the Russian Sushi restaurant, he saw Shizuo and Tom.

"Hey, flea, what are you doing here, do you want to die this badly?", the blond asked in an annoyed voice, making Izaya laugh "I know that you are not going to kill me after you just saved me, Shizu-chan, so what gives?" "Are you an idiot or did your head get injured in the fight with the slasher? I might have temporarily defeated the slasher spawns, but I didn't kill them. They are still somewhere here, lusting after your blood. Don't tell me you have forgotten the pain that almost killed you?!", he asked in an enraged voice, not letting Izaya talk properly. He looked at Tom and sighed "I'll make a break earlier today if you don't mind." The fellow debt collector looked rather confused, but nodded "I will be waiting at Russian Sushi for you."

After humming in approval, Shizuo picked Izaya up, causing him to flail around, trying to get free, but with no avail. "Either you stop struggling or I will throw you against a wall. Your choice, flea.", he growled, heading to his own apartment and carrying Izaya in, seating him in the bedroom before heading out. Before Izaya could follow, the door shut on him and a small 'click' indicated that it was now locked. The informant started loudly banging his fist against the door, calling out in an angry tone "Have you become senile, Shizuo? You can't just do this." A low angry growl indicated that he should stop, but unlike most humans, Izaya wasn't scared of the blond and continued to shout "Let me out, you monster. I don't see why you even care about your enemy this much." The growling has stopped for a while and Izaya was left in silence, alone in the former bartender's bedroom. Unsure of what to do, the informant looked around, smirking. His plan of gathering more information didn't end up in vain. On the contrary, he got his hands on information that nobody has known before. He sat down onto the bed and saw something poke out from under the pillow. Curious, the dark-haired male pulled it out, chuckling as he read the title of the magazine 'Delicious'. A blond woman with huge breasts that barely had any clothes was on the cover. Izaya chuckled and took a picture of it using his phone camera, hiding it back under the pillow and grinning "Ah, it's funny that Shizu-chan can be so human at times." He took more pictures of the room, trying to get his mind on something else than disappointment about Shizuo winning this time. The windows in the room were an option of escape, but they were too small for even Izaya's slim figure to fit through. "Aw, maan..", Izaya said with a sigh, using Shizuo's bed to lay down. If the blond brought him here by force, he had to face the consequences. Rolling over to lay on his side, the dark-haired male used his phone to access the Dollars page, reading some posts. Many people wrote posts about the slasher on the feed, all of them were scared. As he remembered the attack by the slasher horde, he also remembered that he told Celty about her head and decided to see if his emergency plan of awakening Valhalla worked, entering the chatroom.

_-Kanra entered the chat-_

_Kanra: Hello~ Is Setton-san here?_

_Setton: Yeah I am alone here at the moment._

_Kanra: Allright. So, what about your head? _

_Setton: I realized that I don't want to be the dullahan of the myths anymore. I don't want to kill people. You know, my scythe wasn't able to kill people because without my head since I never had the need to kill anyone. But I remembered everything now. My head wants me to kill again, so if I can't synchronize it with my own wishes, I'll get rid of it._

_Kanra: I'm glad that you found what's best for you, but I kind of looked forward to the awakening of your true self. You know, the great fairy of death and all._

_Setton: I'm glad that you are finally being honest, Izaya._

_Kanra: Blame Shizzy for that. He changed so much that I had no other choice than to change too. Well then, see you. _

_Setton: Wait!_

_Kanra: Yeah?_

_Setton: I like you more the way you are now._

_-Kanra left the chat-_

"I agree with Celty", a deep voice came from behind, causing Izaya to jump a little. "Don't sneak up on me! You really are a monster, Shizu-chan.", the dark-haired male said, earning another growl from the taller male. "If I am such a monster, you won't get any of the food I just made." The informant laughed and sat up, patting the blond's shoulder "Don't worry, Shizzy. Only a human would have a perverted magazine under his pillow."

This round, the victory belonged to the informant. He knew it as soon as Shizuo's cheeks turned a bright red and he walked out of the room just to call out: "Come eat, flea!", which made Izaya laugh loudly as he entered the kitchen and smiled at Shizuo soothingly "Come on, Shizu-chan..it's normal for men to have such magazines, I bet everybody had it once...except me.", he teased, chuckling "I hope the food wasn't poisoned.", he added in a more joking tone, causing Shizuo to laugh "If I were to kill you, I would choose a more brutal and direct way." Izaya smiled at that and started eating the soup that Shizuo made. "It's good, when did you learn to cook?" With a smile, the taller of the two replied "I didn't, I just followed the recipe." Izaya chuckled and quickened his eating pace, finishing before Shizuo. "Thank you, Shizu-chan! Next time you try to kidnap me however, I will cut your throat." Before the blond could react, the information broker jumped through the open window to escape, waving his goodbye and quickly dashing towards his apartment. Shizuo sighed, but hoped that nothing bad would happen to the shorter male.

Being glad that he escaped, Izaya checked his e-mail, smiling as he saw a message from one of his customers asking him to meet up instantly since his life was in danger if he didn't get information. Smirking at the deal, Izaya wrote back 'Meet you at 4 pm in the office in Shinjuku' before heading to the said office. As mean as it was, the deals where the lives of the individuals were dependant on his information paid best. He entered the office and prepared everything for the job, It was 3:55 pm already, so the young informant didn't have to wait long until a man in a brown cloak came in, hiding his face. If that hadn't made Izaya suspicious, what happened next did.  
"Mother said to find you...come with me.", he said and the dark-haired male instantly realized that this man was one of the slashers. Taking out his jackknife, the informant stood up and approached the man, hiding the knife in his sleeve. "So, you want me to follow you, yes?", he asked, chuckling and acting like he was about to do as the man asked. However, as soon as they were outside, he turned into the opposite direction and ran for it. He ran towards Shizuo's house.

Much to the blond's disappointment, the main slasher whom everyone called 'Mother' appeared before him just after he finished work. He sighed as he saw the glowing red eyes. "So, you are the one who ordered to kill Izaya? I mean...you are the only one who is having herself under control and not chanting some weird stuff about love.", he said, looking at the female, ready to strike anytime. "Yes, it's me. Haruna Niekawa.", the girl said, staring at the taller male with a psychotic look. "Your friend is now ours. He didn't even try to fight my children.", she said, obviously proud of herself. "If you want that friend of yours alive, let me make you my child..." The man in the bartender outfit gritted his teeth. "No wonder Izaya didn't fight..." He sighed. "You're going to cut me, huh? I'd rather not let you do that." The teenage girl grinned maniacally "If you don't, I will kill Izaya Orihara." The blond laughed "Tche. Like I care!" He took his cigarette out of his mouth and snapped it in half, throwing it on the ground and grabbing a street sign that stood right next to the gate to his apartment complex. "I saved him once to give him a chance to become human. That's all there is to it." Or so he said, but deep down he knew that he started to like the shorter male. He could even imagine them being friends...or even more... "You will become my child, one way or another!", the slasher said. Approaching the former bartender.

Seeing the slasher trying to cut Shizuo, Izaya jumped in between and stopped the blade with his own. "Nope, Shizu-chan, if you break this sign, your debt will increase, remember~", the informant said with his usual cocky grin, dodging as the slasher made another move "How's your daddy, Niekawa-san? I hear he doesn't approve of your love to Takashi Nasujima... that was that perverts name, right?" He purposely angered the female for if she would be blinded by rage, her movements ought to become more clumsy. Which they did. Izaya quickly snuck up behind the girl and hit her head hard, making her lose consciousness. "Now we're even, right, Shizu-chan?", he asked with a chuckle, but looked down at the female. "She won't be out for a long time since she is possessed by the blade's spirit...what should we do?", he asked, stepping on the knife of the girl and kicking it away, disarming her. He looked up at Shizuo and sighed "Are you still there? We have to do something about _that_", he said, pointing to the girl who slowly started standing up, making Izaya quickly spin around and jump backwards in a defensive position. Finally, Shizuo acted and decided that a simple nod was enough "I'll take care of it.", he said, using the chance to lift the disarmed slasher up. "But what shall I do with her? Maybe Celty will know? Can you call Celty, flea?", he asked, holding the girl tight so she couldn't escape. The shorter of the two did as he was told to and dialled the courier's number, telling her that they found the main slasher.

After Celty arrived holding her head under her arm, she smiled at the two and spoke "I'll take care of it." The two men looked at each other in bewilderment at how beautiful Celty's voice sounded. "There are two options: To kill her or to try and make the evil spirit leave her body. The second one is harder, but I would prefer it. Would you hold her still while I do that?", she asked with a small smile, using her free hand to form a blade out of her shadows. "A blade? Are you going with the first solution after all?", Izaya asked, quite worried. Celty chuckled "No. Remember, my scythe didn't cut through the bodies of the people, it cut their souls. If I manage to find the part of the soul contaminated by Saika, I can cut it out. After saying this, the fairy closed her eyes, sending a part of the shadow into the girl's body, knocking her out again as she searched for the part. Like a surgeon, she started carefully cutting something out which she pulled out of the girl's body and it instantly disappeared. "She will be quite shaken after this, but if we bring her to her father and he gives her enough care, she will be fine.", Celty explained. "Celty is the coolest~", Izaya cheered with one of his usual grins, watching her work. It was a while before she was done, so Izaya did his job to look out for unwanted spectators so that their work wouldn't be interrupted. After the fairy was done treating the girl, she smiled. "Good thing that she had the blade under control, meaning that only a small part of her soul got possessed. She will live.", she said, getting onto her motorbike "please do the same as you did as we saved Izaya, yes?", she asked. The blond nodded and seated the girl behind Celty, waiting for the shadow strings to wrap around her body before waving "Thank you, Celty. Be safe." The fairy smiled and put her head into a small bag which she made out of the shadow fabric, driving off.

After being left alone with Izaya, Shizuo frowned "So you got into trouble. I shouldn't have left you out of my house." The information broker sighed "I saved you and you say such stuff...how mean~" The former bartender just growled in annoyance "I didn't need your help. Now come, flea.", he said, grabbing Izaya's wrist and dragging him to the downtown of Ikebukuro. "W-Where are we going?", the information broker stuttered, caught off guard by the bold action. Well, Shizuo has always been a man of action and not of words and thoughts like himself. But still, it wasn't usual for him to do anything without any warning. "To your apartment, where else?", he asked, looking back at the shorter male. "Why are you coming with me? Do you plan on becoming my new secretary?", Izaya asked with a grin, chuckling a bit "So that you can be mistaken for my lover like you mistook Namie-san for my lover?" There it was, a fist was flying towards him, but he dodged it even despite being immobilized by the death grip around his left wrist. "You are so easy to tease, Shizu-chan~" The taller male didn't say anything, but growled, lighting a cigarette which he held clenched between his teeth. "I don't know why I am doing it, but I guess that if it meant keeping you out of trouble, I wouldn't mind being your secretary or bodyguard...whatever you wanna call it.", he said in a calm voice, once more surprising the information broker. The rest of the walk was spent in silence, but as they finally arrived at the apartment, Izaya looked up "Am I worth that much to you? More than Tom-san? You know, he depends on you and he needs your protection." That left Shizuo thinking for a bit, but he dragged Izaya inside anyway and went to the top floor with him.

Confused of why Shizuo still didn't let go of his wrist which started to hurt from the other's superhuman grip he hissed, but opened the door with his free hand just to be pulled inside the apartment and shoved into the office area again. "I'll cook dinner.", Shizuo simply said, pulling the keys out and locking the door, putting the keys into his vest pocket. "Do whatever you like until then.", he said, searching for something that looked edible. "I only found some eggs, Mirin and salt. Is it okay if I make Tamagoyaki?" The informant carelessly waved his hand "Do as you like, I'm going to take a shower now. My wounds still haven't healed properly, how troublesome~", he said, heading to the bathroom. It annoyed him to be bossed around by the taller male. Shizuo sighed. He didn't know why he cared about Izaya so much and he also didn't know if he should accept the job as the other's secretary. It was a fact that he cared for Izaya a lot, yet the question is how much. Apparently enough to do such a reckless, mean thing...

He pulled out a small packet out of his pocket as soon as he heard the water running in the bathroom he opened it, adding some of the white powder into the omelette, whispering "Forgive me, Izaya." He didn't know any other way to protect the information broker until he was sure that the slasher incidents have stopped. He worked a lot and wouldn't be able to watch over the other...it irritated him. Why did he care? Why did it bother him so much what happened to the flea. It couldn't be love since he had no right to love Izaya. He didn't know anything besides his favourite food, his job and his address. And he was sure that if he really fell in love with the informant, he would only be laughed at by the other. So, until he talked the job change out with Tom, he had no other choice but to make sure that Izaya stayed at home. As he was deep in thought, he didn't notice Izaya approach him. "Hey Shizu-chaan~", he said in a happy voice, startling Shizuo. The taller male shot a death glare at him "Flea, don't sneak up on me like that." "If I wanted to kill you, it would be an easy task. So, why are you spacing out this much, hmm~? Are you still thinking of that 'lover' thing and considering becoming my secretary?", he said in a joking tone and sat down to work on a report. Since he said this just to tease his enemy...no, former enemy, he didn't expect the other to say what he said next. "You're always so sharp, how can you analyse people so quickly?"

With a smirk at the reaction, Izaya acted like he had planned it "Since you are human now, it's easy to see through you. Because I love humans. Right now, you are battling with yourself, thinking if it is the right thing to leave Tom-san and come to work for me. You feel like you would betray your own principles if you do so. And, you are afraid that I'll make fun of you...which I am in fact doing now~", he said. The debt collector growled in annoyance, putting a plate with an egg roll in front of the informant. "Eat before I get angry and decide to kill you.", he said, completely forgetting that he put the sedative into the other's food over his rage. "Oh, but Shizu-chan, you are already mad~", he teased once more, eating the Tamagoyaki prepared for him. "Thank you though. I can cook myself, but I am pretty busy these days.", he said, not looking at Shizuo. He wasn't able to say nice things and look the taller blond in the eye. Shizuo sighed "I'll go to the balcony and smoke, I will be right back." He needed to calm down. It was Izaya after all, the short male always pissed him off. He continued slowly smoking his cigarette and enjoying the fresh breeze, deciding to smoke this one out until the last bit of it is gone, but his decision was overthrown by a loud 'thump'.

Hurrying into the office after leaving his cigarette behind on the balcony, he sighed as he saw Izaya asleep with his head on the desk. He wondered if he dosed the sedative to high, but he didn't care right then. He picked the information broker up bridal style and carried him off to his bedroom. Not caring to change his clothes since he felt that it would be a violation of the shorter male's privacy, he laid him down and covered him up with a blanket. "Please forgive me for using such dirty methods...I guess turning human has made me rotten..", he whispered and headed out, closing the door behind him. Even though he still wasn't completely sure why he did all this, he headed straight to see Tom and talk to him about his work. If he remembered right, the sedatives should work for about 16 hours.

Even if he did it to protect the shorter male, he felt bad. Izaya said that he had lots of work to do, so it meant that he didn't have much spare time. And he had even less now, since he would be sleeping for so long. It was done already. As Izaya would say it, he was the man of action while the information broker was one of thoughts and accurate tactics. He knew exactly which strings he had to pull to achieve a reaction, he always saw through people like they were made out of glass. To put it simply, Shizuo started to acknowledge that Izaya was a genius and a talent too big to be wasted. Maybe that is why he protected him? He didn't know.

* * *

"Oh, Shizuo. What brings you here after your shift has ended?", the debt collector asked as he sat in his living room, drinking some tea and watching TV after he opened the door for his friend."I need advice.", the blond honestly replied, hoping that Tom wouldn't laugh at him. However, the other didn't laugh. He nodded and put his TV on mute to listen to Shizuo. "It's about Izaya. I have come to care for him and I don't know why. And now he is suggesting me to work as his secretary and I am honestly thinking to accept. What happened to me? My life made a 180° turn while the flea seemingly remained the same. It makes me angry but also happy. What should I do?"

Tom looked surprised "Are you talking about Izaya Orihara, the information broker? You hated him, right? I mean, I'm not against this development since the streets in Ikebukuro have become safer since you two get along...but you honestly consider working for him? It's your decision and I'm not holding you back. But if he happens to be just playing with you, I'll always have a workplace open. You are the only person suited for the job of the bodyguard.", he paused, chuckling. "If he isn't joking though, you should take the job. Izaya is rich and isn't greedy. That means you will be able to pay your debts back in no time. So, it's not only a profit for Izaya, but for you too.", he said sitting back. "As for you caring about Izaya...I can't explain that one, but if you really like him, you shouldn't run from that feeling just because you feel like you should hate him. Affection isn't something you can control like you are controlling your violent side now.", he said, smiling gently. "So, I assume you won't be working tomorrow?" Shizuo shook his head "I'll come tomorrow. Izaya is busy anyway.", he half-lied, not wanting anyone to know about him putting the dark-haired male to sleep. "Alright then. If I were you though, I'd head straight to Izaya to tell him the news before he changes his mind though." The blond nodded "Thank you, Tom. Give me a call if you need anything. Other than that, see you tomorrow", he said, walking out.

As the former bartender walked out, he headed straight to Celty however. He needed to be sure that Saika was gone forever before he did anything else. He rang the doorbell and waited for a response. A headless Celty appeared before him. "Hey Celty. May I ask where your head is?" The dullahan seemed to chuckle, but wrote in her PDA: "We got into an argument. Before my head forces me to be the Grim Reaper again, I'd rather show it that it has to listen to me." Shizuo smiled at that. The way Celty behaved was almost childish. "I won't take too much of your time...but are you sure that Saika won't attack Izaya anymore?" The fairy nodded and typed "Since the 'Mother' doesn't possess the sword's power anymore, the spawns aren't controlled by anyone until the real slasher comes. But I doubt it will come since the sword disappeared many years ago." That was enough to reassure the debt collector and he smiled once more "Thanks Celty. Sorry that I bothered you so late in the evening." The headless woman typed again "It's fine. It's for a person you have grown attached to, right? Don't think I didn't notice how much you worry about Izaya." The blond blushed a bit and nodded "You all are so smart. Well then, I'll be heading back then.", he said, waving a goodbye and earning a wave in return before leaving. All the people saying he liked Izaya...annoying. He passed by Simon, waving to him and walking on, angrily biting the filter of his cigarette as he smoked it. He couldn't hold it any longer, he was angry at himself. He headed for the woods instead of going straight to the informant's apartment, starting to tear out trees as if it were flowers and stacking them on one bunch. He did something useful since there were markings on the trees he pulled out meaning that they would be cut down soon anyway and his strategy to calm down worked as well. He just couldn't face Izaya while being angry at himself, no matter if the other was sleeping or not, it would lead to a violent quarrel and he didn't want to hurt Izaya without a reason anymore.

Having finally calmed down, the blond sighed and headed towards the apartment and rang the bell, face-palming as he remembered that Izaya was asleep. And he forgot the key as well. What happened to his logical thinking? Maybe his guilt feelings were blocking out any reason? As he stood there and thought, a buzzing sound came, signalizing that the door unlocked. It only has been an hour, Izaya shouldn't be awake yet...The blond frowned and entered the complex, taking the elevator. "I should have killed all the slashers. But no, I was too nice to kill people. Why didn't I do that? What if someone attacked Izaya while he was sleeping?", he mumbled, his face showing worry as evident as never before. "And why does he have to live on the top floor?", he growled in anger, glad as the elevator finally arrived, fear overcoming him as he saw the door to the informant's apartment wide open. "Shit.", he cursed, cautiously entering the apartment.

"Welcome back, monster.", Izaya said. He seemed quite fine and his eyes were just slightly hazed by sleepiness. However, his eyes made clear that he knew about the sedatives. "I should go buy new eggs, these might have been a bit rotten. I'm feeling all sleepy.", he hummed and continued his report. "But Izaya...", he started, causing the informant to sigh dramatically. "Shizu-chan, don't just stand there, alright? I know what you did and I honestly couldn't care less as long as it doesn't interfere with my job.", he said, continuing to type, but pausing to throw a cocky grin at the other "Besides, I couldn't hate a human being, right? Now would you close the door and make me some tea please? If you still wanna be my secretary, that is." The blond still felt bad, but smiled a bit at how Izaya returned to his usual self. He closed the door and indeed followed the orders the informant made. "Why are you awake already, though?" "Ah, yeah, the sedative should be still working, right? I found it fishy that you didn't eat with me although you cooked, then I noticed that there were rests of white powder, so I tried some of it. It didn't have any flavour, so I got more sceptical since flour isn't a thing I own.", he explained, then chuckled "You are aware that a dosis like you have put into the omelette could have killed me, yes~?", he asked, saving the file and yawning. "But I also have to thank you, I will sleep well tonight."

Shizuo put the tea onto the desk as the look of pure guilt took over his face. The informant pointed at the face of the blond and smiled "That is exactly why I love humans." The former bartender sighed "You love humans even though some of them are close to killing you?" The shorter male nodded, sipping his tea "This is what true love is." Shizuo shook his head "I don't get your 'love'. But whatever..." "Heh...you don't understand it even though you made me love humans even more?", he asked. He noticed that his customers were trusting him more when he talked nice to them. And he only started acting nice after the talk with Shizuo. Now he achieved the ultimate trust and could break it anytime he needed it most. Manipulation of people has never been as easy as it was while he was nice. He frowned as he took a glance at the taller blond who made himself comfortable on the couch. There was only one person he couldn't manipulate...maybe because he wasn't quite human yet? No, that wasn't it...maybe because he let Shizuo get too close to him. He finished his tea and sighed again. "How annoying~" He turned off his computer and went to his bedroom. "I'll go brush my teeth and go to sleep. You can leave.", he said, taking his brush and toothpaste and disappearing in the bathroom. The blond sighed and took the empty teacup, washing it. He hated sloppiness. As he was finished washing the cup and stowed everything away, and dusted the countertops, he saw Izaya coming out in black satin pyjamas. "You're still here? Well, whatever. I'm too tired to argue.", he said, heading to his room. "Night~"

The blond was surprised by how easily the information broker brushed off the matter, but decided to continue dusting. He dusted the desk and the computer. Noticing that the informant forgot to turn the computer off, Shizuo sighed. He shouldn't give Izaya any medicaments anymore if it caused him to become such an airhead. Making sure that all the documents the shorter male worked on were saved, he turned off the computer. As he was done dusting, he laid down onto the couch, but it was too small for him to lay down properly. He didn't want to leave either though, so he headed to the informant's bedroom and quietly laid down on the opposite side of where Izaya has been sleeping curled up like a kitten. Strangely, Shizuo had imagined the dark-haired male laying in the middle of the bed while sleeping, but the reality was different. The other was lying on the edge, taking up only the quarter of the whole space. Smiling to himself, the blond took off his sunglasses and his vest along with his bow tie. He didn't remove his shirt or pants though so that he wouldn't creep Izaya out. He just was too lazy to head home tonight. After crawling under the blankets, he quickly fell asleep, just like the last time.

Feeling someone crawl into his bed, Izaya opened one eye sleepily and turned to look at the former bartender. He was about to protest, but seeing that the other fell asleep, he decided to creep the blond out and cuddled up to him, smirking as he imagined the face Shizu-chan would make when he woke up. He had to admit that it was nice hugging someone warm while sleeping. And apparently, the sleeping blond also found it nice since his strong muscular arms went around his slender body. Smiling at that, Izaya fell asleep as well.

Morning came around too soon for both male's liking, but Shizuo was the first to awake. He groaned sleepily, going to rub his eyes as he noticed that he was holding someone in his arms. In fact, his arms were wrapped around a waist that was almost too slim to belong to a male. Shocked that he let himself go that much, he opened his eyes, fully awake now, just to see the informant sleep with a smile on his face and to feel an arm laying on his chest. "The hell are you doing, flea?!", he called out, pushing Izaya away and turning away to hide a blush. How could this happen? He was sure that he left as much space between then as possible.. "You're so loud in the morning, Shizu-chan. But well, this will teach you not to lay down in my bed just like that", he said, stretching and yawning. "I'll go make breakfast, you have to go to work soon, right?", he added, pointing to the clock. Shizuo was too occupied with being angry to notice how late it was already. "Shit! I only have 30 minutes!" The informant laughed "You have become too human, I guess. Well then, go and get ready."

With that, the informant left the bedroom and headed into his kitchen area. He started making omelette and smiled. He would be able to tease Shizu-chan more often and the blond would protect him and clean for him. Well, now that he thought about it, it kind of seemed like he was in love. "This thing becomes more annoying by the day...", he said to himself, putting the omelette onto two plates and washing the pan. As he was done cooking and cleaning, the blond came out of the bedroom and sat down at the coffee table, taking the plate into his lap.

"Do you mind if I start without you? I'm kinda running late for my last day of work.", he asked, but started eating anyway."Last day? Why that?", Izaya asked, sitting down across from Shizuo and eating his omelette former bartender sighed "You really forget things quickly, Izaya. I'll become your secretary."Almost choking on food, the dark-haired male stared at Shizuo in shock. "Wha-what?! Well, I remember you mentioning that but I thought you were only joking!" "No I wasn't, it is the fastest way to pay back my debts and make sure you don't do anything stupid."

Izaya didn't look quite pleased, but sighed and decided to 'consult with the ceiling'. He didn't know if he liked it or not. If he thought right, Shizuo wanted to prevent him from manipulating people. But how could he if he did it so subtly that nobody has noticed it before? Plus, if he would work as his secretary, he would be bound to work while Izaya manipulated people. It wouldn't change anything anyway. "Alright, so you will be starting tomorrow, huh? I'll explain the terms and conditions tomorrow unless you decide to come here again.", he said, then smirked "Shouldn't you hurry though? Tom-san might think something wrong~", he teased, leaning back and slowly eating. He watched Shizuo jump up and hurry to the door "See ya, Shizu-chan~", he hummed. The blond replied "I'll come here after work." before he left.

"What a pain~~", Izaya chirped, cleaning up the dishes and going back to the bedroom to make the bed and to dress for the day before he went back to his computer and checked his mails. He would only have one customer today and that was a journalist who apparently still wants information about Shizuo. "Why are all the people interested in him? Isn't Celty more interesting of a person?", he hummed, but typed a reply saying that the journalist could come to his Ikebukuro office today. He himself was a very down-to-earth man and he didn't want to make promises that he couldn't keep, so he always tried to get work done as soon as possible since he couldn't predict what would happen in a day or a week. Maybe he would manage to surprise Shizu-chan with the information given to the journalist...of course, he wouldn't give out his secret of keeping a porn magazine under his pillow. As he remembered that, he had to chuckle a bit. It was funny that Shizuo out of all people would have something like that hidden in such an obvious place.

He got up and made himself tea, humming as he sat down and started browsing some sites. "I guess it isn't that hard to manipulate the world with Shizu-chan on my side~", he said, giggling. "So the development has it's good sides too.", he added, sipping his tea and reading the reply of the journalist saying that he would arrive shortly. Izaya smiled as he thought of all the things that contradicted to everything that people knew about Heiwajima Shizuo. Well, he was glad that the blond revealed the true self to him.

As the journalist arrived and rang the doorbell, Izaya let him in. Seeing how shy the man looked, the informant chuckled "Welcome~ So, you want information about Shizu-chan?" The man looked quite shocked "Shizu...chan?" The information broker nodded. "I remember you coming here before the slasher incidents. This time I will give you some inside-information.", he paused to watch the man's face show a happy hope-filled smile. Then he added "If you pay me well, that is. Want some tea?" Not waiting for a reply, he got up and started making tea. "Now...how much are you willing to pay to write an article to make your daughter happy and to let her live a happy life of a teenager?" The man looked aside and sat down onto the couch. "I'll give you 50 thousand yen*.", the man said, making Izaya whistle. "I'll give you half of the information. If you want some pictures, you will have to pay an additional 20 thousand**." The man nodded "Alright, I will see how good the information is before I pay for the pictures." The informant nodded, taking the money for the information and putting it into his portmonaie. "Alright~ Well then. Starting with the obvious: Shizu Heiwajima, 24 years old. Born on the 28th of January. 185 centimetres tall, about 70 kilograms heavy. Likes milk products, dislikes violence. His favourite brand of cigarettes is American Spirit, he always smokes the blue ones. When he is annoyed, he tends to snap things in half. His brother is the famous actor Hanejima Yuuhei. What Shizu-chan is most famous for is his superhuman strength which is why he works as a bodyguard for a debt collecting company. His closest friends are the headless rider, Simon, Shinra, and of course Tom. He has huge debts since he destroys state property during his fights plus his apartment is too expensive for it's size. Kind of ironic that a person with such big debts is a debt collector.", he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Shizu-chan is a man of action. If given the impulse to act, such as maddening him, he will instantly act. However, unlike many people believe, he isn't a bad person. I wouldn't employ bad people, would I?", he asked with a laugh. "Well then. Other than that, there isn't much to say except that he used to work as a bartender and that he is part of the Dollars." The journalist widened his eyes, nodding. Izaya was indeed pleased with the reaction, stretching. "Well then. If that is all, you can leave. If not, I could still sell you some pictures.", he hummed.

Apparently it was too much for the journalist already and he shook his head "I'll be leaving now, Orihara-san. Thank you for your time." "Anytime~ Nice making business with you.", the dark-haired male said, watching the other leave before sighing in delight. "Humans are so much fun~", he hummed, shutting his computer off and heading out. He needed some groceries before Shizuo came back. He was slowly growing sick of eating omelette, so he headed to the store, shopping some groceries.

* * *

Evening came around and Izaya was sitting in his office, bored. He didn't know what to do other than just sit there, watch some cartoons and wait for Shizu-chan to arrive. He could have cooked something to eat, but he didn't want to look like a newlywed wife waiting for her husband to come home. That would be too cliché and didn't fit into the informant's principles. He hummed and yawned boredly. One of the jobs for today got cancelled since the customer had an emergency to come up. So, the next job would be tomorrow. "Haah, Shizu-chan should have come here by now. I don't like waiting.", he sighed, but smiled as soon as he heard the doorbell ring. He pushed a button, making his voice be audible from the entrance "Hey hey~ How can I help you?", he asked in a cheerful tone, chuckling as he heard the response "You could open the door for example, flea." The response wasn't said in an angry tone, Shizuo seemed to be in a good mood. "Alright, Shizu-chan~", Izaya said, pressing another button to unlock the door. He waited for the elevator sound outside before he opened the door to his apartment. "Welcome back. How was your last day, Shizzy?", he hummed, closing the door after the blond entered.

"It was fun I guess.", the male said, looking at the TV which was still showing cartoons. "You're busy, I see.", he teased, smirking at Izaya and taking his glasses off. The shorter of the two sighed "Well, I had a customer and went shopping. I am allowed to have some free time, right?" Shizuo shook his head "Not quite yet. You still have to explain me the terms and conditions of my new job." Nodding, the informant turned the TV off and hummed. "Why don't you first tell the true reasons why you want to become my secretary. I know that you said that you want to protect me. And yet, I don't quite get why you decide to protect a man whom you used to hate not too long ago."

The blond didn't expect that question, so he groaned in annoyance, clicking his tongue "Because I like you more than I thought...I guess." The informant tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling. "So you are saying that the great Heiwajima Shizuo is now friends with me?" Shaking his head, Shizuo hovered above the shorter male, leaning down to stare him straight in the eye, their faces just inches apart. "Not quite. I'm talking about what you call the reverse side of hate. To make it clear for you. I believe that my irrational actions can only be explained with love. I know nothing about you since I got irritated every time I saw you...", he paused, leaning down more and placing his hands onto the informant's shoulders, not letting him escape. "...but I realized that I was just jealous. Now that I can control my anger and stay calm, there is no need to be jealous of you. And by being your secretary, I'll make sure you don't play with human lives, leaving no reason to hate you at all.", he explained. Izaya widened his eyes, unsure if to be flattered or creeped out, so he smiled awkwardly and stared at his former enemy. "Did you hit your head, Shizuo?"

It was rare for the informant to address to the blond as 'Shizuo' instead of 'Shizu-chan' or 'Shizzy', so the taller male shook his head "I'm very serious. That is why...I can't walk around with half-hearted hate nor with half-hearted love. So...I'll find out what I really feel for you myself." Izaya widened his eyes "Wh-What are you-" He was interrupted by Shizuo kissing him. The informant gasped, putting his hands ontop of Shizuo's and trying to push him back, but with no avail. In close combat nobody could beat Shizuo but Simon. The blond noticed that Izaya tried to struggle, so he pushed the dark-haired male back with more force, pinning him to the couch. The force was so big that the informant gasped in pain, giving Shizuo the chance to take the kiss a step further. It seemed that regarding love, the taller of the two was still extremely reckless. After licking Izaya's lips, the blond's tongue made it's way between them to enter the paler male's mouth. It seemed that although Izaya was extremely rich he has never done this sort of things, for his tongue shyly hid in the back of his mouth, rolled up a little. It wasn't quite to Shizuo's liking, so he released one of the informant's shoulders to grip his hair and pull it roughly, making him groan and his tongue poke out a bit. Using that chance, Shizuo decided to challenge the other to a battle of dominance and although it was seemingly Izaya's first kiss, the informant accepted it and looked quite determined to win it as they kissed. By that time, the blond has straddled the shorter male and continued the battle until the determination to win overpowered the pleasant feeling he had while kissing Izaya like that, so he bit the other's tongue lightly and pulling his hair once more, earning another groan from the slim male and smirking as he had won the battle. He gave the other a few more deep kisses before pulling away just in time to see Izaya blush lightly. "I-Idiot. If I love someone I won't be able to love all the humans." The blond laughed "If that is your problem, I'm not holding you back from loving them." The informant hummed "Why?", causing Shizuo to laugh a little before smirking in an alluring way "Because I now know that I really love you and if someone comes as close to you as I do, they will get a free trip to the moon by the force of my fist.", he explained, making Izaya sigh. "I never said I loved you back.." The blond looked serious as he continued to smirk which caused his look to seem menacing. "You will, though. I know it from the way you act."

Pulling back to let Izaya get up, Shizuo smiled "Shall I make us dinner?" The informant nodded "I bought you some milk since I know you like it. Besides, with your strength you are in need of lots and lots of calcium." The blond nodded "Thank you." Once more, the feeling that he should know more about Izaya has struck him and he started at the floor angrily, as if it was its fault that he knew so little about the informant. He didn't even know when the shorter male's birthday was. He had no right to love him and he couldn't even take 'Love at first sight' as an excuse since he has known way too much about the other. He was getting angry at himself, he didn't even know for sure why he loved Izaya. Was it his looks with the pale skin, dark silky hair and a slim body that attracted him? Was it his cheerful childish nature? The way he never got angry? He didn't know. He was unsure why in such a short period of time his feelings reversed. As he thought about that, Izaya watched him closely, his head lightly tilted to the side. Finally getting bored of observing, the informant sighed dramatically and rubbed the spots where Shizuo's hands were just a few minutes ago. "You really still are a monster, Shizu-chan. My shoulders are sore.."

That succeeded in throwing the taller male out of his trance and made him growl out in annoyance "Don't act like it hurt, flea. You won't even get a bruise, I'm sure of it." Smirking, the dark-haired male nodded "Good to see that you haven't become a statue yet. Well then...you wanted to know the terms and conditions right? They are simple. Since I know about your debt and of course want to help you, you will be getting a third, 33,333% of what I earn. Off information I give out about you, you will get 50%. All you have to do is make me some tea, tidy up a bit and since you are so strong, make sure that my customers don't get too violent." The informant stretched and looked at the other. "Any questions?" "Yes, I have one. How come that you aren't thinking about the confession I made you?", the blond asked, looking irritated. "Stupid Shizzy. Love isn't something you _think _about. You feel it, with all your heart. Just like I feel my love for humans. You can't explain love, but you can say why you love something. I love humans because they never cease to amaze me~" With that, Izaya went over to his desk and started writing something.

Still not understanding how people could rely on something as unreal as feelings, Shizuo clicked his tongue in annoyance, lighting a cigarette. It wasn't to the informant's liking, so he just threw a knife towards the taller male, cutting his cigarette in half. "No, Shizu-chan. I don't want my flat to reek of the cigarette smoke.", he insisted, pointing to the balcony. "Go and smoke outside if you really want to, but that will only kill you sooner.", he said, humming curiously as he saw his blade stuck in the wooden door. "Well then. If you do want to smoke, go out and I will cook. Or you leave, which I would prefer." It wasn't that he hated company. He just wasn't used to having anyone next to him unless it was for work. He got up then and watched the blond leave to the balcony mumbling something angrily. It made the informant smile a bit since Shizuo was acting like a little child. He pulled out the knife he had thrown and after putting it back into his pocket, he went to work in kitchen, cooking a proper dinner with rice, fish, miso soup and soy bean paste, not noticing Shizuo return since he wanted to make everything perfect to show the blond that he was the better cook. Thus, as Shizuo started talking, the informant almost jumped, but contained himself. "It smells good. It's been a long time since I ate a real dinner like that...thanks Izaya.", the former debt collector said, leaning back. "It's alright. Have you finally calmed down? Wouldn't want you to destroy my apartment~", Izaya teased, earning another growl.

"I did calm down, thanks for _worrying_.", the blond hissed sarcastically, waiting for the other to finish cooking. "How mean!~ I was worried..", the dark-haired male said, watching the blond smile a bit before adding "About my home.", making the smile of the other disappear again and a frown take it's place. It was fun teasing Shizuo while the other was still too shocked about killing innocent people to kill him as well. A loving Shizuo did have some advantages. However, thinking of the taller male proving his dominance in...other ways was still quite unnerving. Holding back so much power apparently made him more violent in moments where he actually tried to be caring, just like when they were kissing. Izaya sighed and rubbed his shoulders which by then stopped hurting, but the memory of the pain made the paler of the two sigh. He distracted himself from analysing Shizuo's behaviour by putting the dinner onto two plates and pouring the soup into two bowls, apologetically smiling at the other "I only have two plates since I don't cook often. And when I do, it's just for myself. Well then...", he hummed, handing the taller male a plate and a bowl and taking the remaining two dishes for himself, starting to eat. The blond ate too, gasping at how good it was. "You're lying about not cooking often, don't you?", he asked, causing Izaya to laugh and shake his head. "I'm glad that you like it this much and that you are amazed by something as simple as that, but no. I have no reason to lie to you about something that meaningless."

They finished eating in silence and Shizuo cleaned the dishes while Izaya went back to writing before tearing the piece of paper off and hiding it into his pocket. By the time the informant did that, Shizuo turned to him and hummed "I'll go to sleep now. If you plan on staying up a bit longer...I'll be waiting for you." The informant looked up, confused at first, but then he laughed "Wait for me? As soon as you lay down on my bed you fall asleep, Shizu-chan. But you know, I'd prefer if you didn't sleep in my bed in a bartender outfit. So, I guess you'll have to go home for tonight?", he asked with a smirk, but only got a growl of disapproval from the blond. "I'll just sleep in my underwear." Izaya frowned and sat back down at his desk, laying his head down onto it in defeat. "You are so stubborn...I'd force you out, but I don't want to risk you destroying everything here...what a paaain~", he sighed dramatically. "Heh, your fault for letting me in in the first place..." The informant smirked "I know you too well, Shizu-chan. If I didn't open the door, you'd break it down." He then stood up and headed to his bedroom. "Take a shower first if you really want to stay overnight." After earning a nod from the blond, Izaya threw a towel at him and changed into his pyjamas, laying down. He sighed and closed his eyes, unsure if it was alright for him to let the things be as they were. He knew one day the blond would demand a reply to his confession, but he was unsure of what he felt. He was sure happy to have the other around, but he was unsure of how much. He didn't seem to mind the kiss, however...it was really pissing the informant off since he for once wasn't in control of the things.

As Shizuo came in, he noticed the light frown on the paler male's face and whispered softly, checking if Izaya was asleep "Are you alright?", he hummed, sitting beside the shorter male and softly stroking his hair. At first, the younger of the two didn't say anything, but then he smiled a bit, leaving his yes closed and mumbled sleepily "Yeah.." Somehow, the gentle touches were calming him down, easing his mind. It was as if the blond told him that it was alright to leave it at that. "It's funny how you manage to calm me down that easily." Shizuo chuckled "Well, I guess it's because I think that a frown doesn't suit you." Izaya opened one eye and smiled. "I'd say that you should get under the blanket, but monsters don't get a cold, right?" "If I were a monster, would you let me sleep in your bed, flea?" The question was rhetorical, but Izaya countered it nonetheless "I never said that you can sleep in my bed. You just decided to stay here. Well then, either go sleep or get out, since I'm tired.", the informant said in a sleepy voice, closing his eyes once more. Just as he did, he felt some shifting beside him and then a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist. "Idiot.", Izaya just mumbled before falling asleep.

* * *

The next day, all the customers were staring at Shizuo who was standing beside Izaya during the meeting, surprised to see the men in the apartment of his former enemy and in addition to that even making him tea and smiling at him. Smirking at how surprised his beloved humans were, Izaya decided that it was a good thing that Shizuo could still get angry at him, but couldn't do anything too bad because of love. That way, the informant had an easier life, could sell more information since people were interested in why the blond was with his enemy. As the last customer left, the shorter male sighed and gave Shizuo 70 thousand yen. "Good work today. But I suggest you go and either sleep at your house or bring some pyjamas." Taking the money, Shizuo nodded. "There is something I need to take care of anyway." Upon that, the informant remembered about the piece of paper he put inside his pocket. He took it out and handed it to the blond. "Could you do this for me too, Shizu-chan?" Shizuo nodded and took the piece of paper "I'll see what I can do." A smile appeared on the informant's lips and he waved as the taller male left the apartment. "He could have at least looked at it. I wanted to see his face..."

Shizuo only unfolded the paper once he was out on the streets. Seeing what was written on it, he blushed a bit, unsure of whether to rush back up or go and take his pyjamas from his apartment. Thinking a bit over the two options, he decided to do the second since after that he still could show his excitement about this note. _'You are searching for a reason why you love me? Maybe it's because I make you feel human and vulnerable...because that is how you make me feel.' "_Heh, pretty cheesy for a cocky brat like him..", the blond said to himself, adjusting his sunglasses and taking out a cigarette. Right then, he didn't smoke because he was angry like he usually did. He felt relieved and even happy. He thought that that feeling would never come to him, the ability to be happy from the bottom of his heart, the ability to control his power...the ability to love. He really owed Izaya's cruel plans and Simon's kind words for that. He headed to his apartment, packing all the clothes he needed before heading back to the informant's home. He was planning on consulting Shinra about how to understand love...but it wasn't necessary, he understood it even though it was still crazy and irrational to love someone like Izaya...That wasn't quite right. It was irrational for him to love anyone at all since he realized how rotten human beings were. Now he was just being one of them, he assumed.

The sound of the doorbell resounded through the apartment on the top floor. Surprised that Shizuo was done so quickly, the informant pressed the button to unlock the doors, waiting for the other to come inside. There was the sound of the elevator and sounds of rushing outside his door, so Izaya quickly opened the door and was about to say a simple 'Welcome back', but Shizuo pulled him close and just wouldn't let him go. "I-Idiot, what are you doing all of the sudden?" With a happy sigh, the blond replied "That should be my line. I was planning on giving you time to think over all what I said and give me a reply...but how can I _not_ love you if you write such irrational cheesy things?" "It's just the truth...", the informant protested and tried to get free, only achieving the opposite. The blond clung to him even tighter. "Shizu-chan, let me go." He looked up to Shizuo with a serious facial expression just to see the other shake his head and lean down for a kiss. Before he could turn his head away, he felt a rough pull on his hair, forcing him to keep his head in his current position. "S-Shizu-chan...", he whispered against the taller male's lips just before the kiss. Unlike last time, it wasn't rough or lust-filled, it was a simple soft kiss. "I love you for being so clumsy when it comes to love, Izaya. Usually you would hide behind your usual grin and bottle everything up to look strong, but now look at that cute blush you are showing.", Shizuo teased. The informant frowned a bit "Shut up, idiot." "Of course, that isn't the only thing I love you for.", he added, making the informant sigh dramatically once again "If you are done talking about love, would you let me go? I need to check if the customer replied."

Regrettably, the blond pulled away and took his bag. "I'll put my stuff into your wardrobe, yes?" "Do I have a choice?", the informant replied, entering the chat.

_-Kanra has entered the chat-_

_-Setton has entered the chat-_

_Kanra: Ah...Celty...I wanted to ask you for advice. Shizuo is apparently thinking of moving in with me. What should I do? It doesn't fit him to be so...well...loving._

Setton: Well, it depends. Do you love him?

There was no way he could answer that question on a whim. He remained silent for a few moments before replying

_Kanra: I don't know._

Setton: Well, then let him move in. If he annoys you, you will know that you don't love him. If you are fine with him getting close to you or even like that approach, you will know that you love him. It's as simple as that. If you need help in putting some distance between you, tell me. You know that I'm the best courier in the city.

_Kanra: All right, thank you, Celty._

_Setton: Anytime. We are friends after all...well, ever since you have become nice._

Kanra: Oh. By the way, is your head still in an argument with your will?

Setton: No, it doesn't want to be left alone, so it agreed with my will. Thanks again.

Kanra: No problem. Well then. See ya!

_-Kanra has left the chat-_

The dark-haired male sighed, ruffling his short spiky hair. It was so weird to think about Shizuo living in his apartment from then on. "Ah, well..", he sighed, turning his computer off, not caring to see if his customer replied or not. He headed to his bedroom and took out his pyjamas, doing his best not to think about the blond too much. He changed into his dark pyjamas, not noticing the other staring at him. "Are you trying to tease me?", Shizuo asked with a small growl, approaching the informant from behind and pulling him close before he could put on his pyjama shirt. As if to punish him for the tease, he leaned down and bit his neck. "Have you gone crazy?", Izaya asked, holding back a soft moan. "No. I was planning on leaving you enough time, but the way you behave around me makes clear that you love me and try to allure me. You should know that if I am given an impulse to act, I will. So, if you undress in front of me...what do you think I'd do, hmm?", he growled out. Before the informant could reply, the taller male picked him up and laid him down on the bed, crawling on top of him with a smirk, almost like a predator about to devour his prey. "S-Shizu-chan..", the shorter of the two whispered, looking quite shocked. Unlike any person in their right state of mind, the look only encouraged the taller male to continue. He leaned down, straddling the informant and captured his lips with his own. The kiss was simple and soft at first, but became more heated as Izaya tensed up a bit. Licking the informant's bottom lip, Shizuo asked for entrance, determined to stop if the shorter male refused to part his lips. What happened next surprised him. He felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders and pull him closer. After this, Izaya parted his lips and using the moment of confusion to challenge the other's tongue to a battle.

This was much to Shizuo's liking, for he pulled off his bow tie, tossing it aside and focusing on the battle, soon winning it and letting his tongue slide into Izaya's mouth, exploring it for a while before returning to play with the informant's tongue. He knew that the shorter male liked it once he felt fingers tangle up in his hair and the grip on his shoulder intensify, as if wanting to pull him closer even though their bodies were already pressed up against each other, sharing the heat. He felt every single movement that the dark-haired male made, shifting under him and trembling in excitement. As much as he enjoyed it, he soon pulled away to regain his breath before leaning down again and attacking the shorter male's neck with kisses and soft bites, sucking as he bit on the neck and making sure that he left marks on the other. The feeling he had as he heard Izaya whimper and groan under him was the same as how he imagined a victory against the shorter male in a fight would feel. However, it was a more pleasant and warm feeling, unlike the dark, cold feeling he had while they fought. Once he was done covering the other's neck in marks, he pulled away and took off his vest and his shirt so they both had the same amount of clothes on. He looked at the informant's face which was looking extremely exotic with his half-lidded hazel eyes which looked black, darkened by lust, his slightly parted lips which were a rosy colour after the kiss, the dark hair that covered a part of his face and a small blush on his cheeks. Instantly falling in love with that face, the blond wanted to see more faces that the informant would make. He traced his hands along the slim male's figure, noticing every shiver that the other gave off when a sensitive spot was touched. as he was done searching for the spots that would make the informant feel good, he leaned down and started licking and sucking every single of them, grazing his teeth against a few of them to mark the other's torso as well. He traced kisses up, kissing the shorter male's pink nipples and using one hand to play with one of them as he licked the other and twirled it a bit with his tongue, making Izaya loosen up and finally moan freely, his moans still soft however. Not satisfied with how soft and quiet the moans were, the taller of the two decided to try something out.

He returned back to the neck, remembering the most sensitive spots there and bit down hard, almost breaking the skin. And it worked, much to his liking. Izaya let out a loud moan which bordered on a scream. "Hmm~ so you are a masochist, huh?" The informant hissed out "S-Shut up.", not sounding very convincing due to how aroused he looked and due to how his body trembled with lust. Getting back to pleasing the other, Shizuo became more violent. He dug his nails into the shorter male's hips, breaking the skin in some places and roughly sucking and biting various spots on his torso before he grew bored of it. He dragged his nails down towards the other's thighs, leaving while scratch marks which soon turned red and pulled down the informant's pants, to which the other surprisingly has shown no resistance. Humming at the development, the blond leaned down to whisper into Izaya's ear "If you don't show some sort of resistance, I will take it that you want me to fuck you." The informant chuckled and whispered back in a soft voice "Not 'fuck', Shizu-chan...'Make love to me'." These words made the taller male brush off any doubts he had until then and he leaned down, placing another soft kiss on the informant's lips, as if putting all his feelings for him into that kiss. He felt Izaya kiss back and smile against his lips, smiling back. He acted like he would be gentle from then on, but just as the kiss ended, he smirked and bit the shorter male's inner thigh, earning another loud moan, encouraging him to continue kissing and biting the sensitive skin, pulling his underwear down and looking at the other's naked body lovingly. "I could get used to this sight.", he hummed, causing Izaya to chuckle "Didn't know that you are a pervert, Shizu-chan." Shizuo hummed as he started to slowly stroke the other's member "No, I'm not. It is only natural to want to see the one you love in their birthday suit~" That made Izaya blush a bit and moan out "I-Idiot...just hurry up already..."

"Why should I hurry up when you are so close to your climax?", the taller male teased, kissing Izaya's jaw line. The informant didn't say anything anymore, enjoying the feeling that he got from Shizuo's touches and the strokes on his member. Smirking a bit, he brought his own hand up to stroke the taller male's member through the clothes before clicking his tongue in annoyance and unzipping his pants, pulling them town to his knees along with his boxers, surprising Shizuo enough for him to look at Izaya with wide eyes. "You're a bit too overdressed for this kind of activities, Shizu-chan.", he said with a cocky grin, suppressing his moans again. Having Izaya so quiet under him wasn't to the blond's liking, but he nodded and pulled back, tossing his pants and boxers over to where the other clothing already was. "Better?", he asked with a smirk, continuing to stroke the paler male's length. "M-much better~", the dark-haired male replied, sitting up a bit to continue stroking Shizuo's penis in the same pace, deciding to show the taller male that he could do better, he grabbed the wrist of the hand that was stroking his length and pulled it away, leaning down and daringly licking the taller male's erection, causing him to moan, much to the informant's liking. The moans encouraged him to continue so he continued licking the member before taking it into his mouth and sucking on it lightly, moving his head up and down and circling his tongue around it, causing louder moans to escape Shizuo's lips. Unable to sit back and just do nothing any longer, the blond licked a couple of his own fingers, coating them in saliva as a substitute for a lubricant and reaching down to push one wet finger into the shorter male, causing him to moan around his member, sending vibrations through it. Shizuo cursed, he knew that he wouldn't be able to postpone his climax much longer if the informant would continue the blowjob. With that, he used his free hand to pull Izaya's hair, indicating that he should stop. Taking the hint, the informant pulled back just to be pushed down onto the bed. He was about to ask why the blond suddenly got aggressive, but he couldn't since Shizuo pushed a second finger in and started moving them then, making Izaya grip the bedsheets tightly and moan loudly, his face showing a hint of discomfort. And seeing that discomfort, the blond was more determined to hurry up and find the other's prostate. He tried different angles until he heard a loud scream from the man under him, his face showing nothing but pure pleasure. _Bingo. _Shizuo smirked and hit Izaya's prostate a few more times before pulling his fingers out, causing him to whimper. "Heh, don't worry. You'll feel better soon."

With that, he pushed the shorter male's thighs up, positioning himself just right to push into Izaya's entrance. He noticed tears in the younger male's eyes and paused, wiping them away. "Shall I stop?", he asked in a worried tone. A small chuckle came from Izaya "Idiot...just get it over with. I trust you.", he said with a smirk of his own, causing Shizuo to smile lovingly and stroke Izaya's member to give him something else to focus on as he continued to push in. The way the tight entrance throbbed around his member felt heavenly, causing him to pause once he was all the way in. Once Izaya got used to his size indicating that with a nod, Shizuo started slowly moving, making sure to hit the other's prostate every time he went in, just to earn lust-filled screams from the informant. The way Izaya clung to his shoulders, the way it felt inside him and the loud screams strengthened his urge to make the shorter male feel good, so he quickened his pace, seeing Izaya throw his head back and close his eyes in embarrassment, a face that he wouldn't have thought possible. He noticed that he was about to come to his climax, but he was determined to hold off up until after Izaya has met his. Which he didn't have to wait long for judging by the face he was making. And as if reading his thoughts, Izaya moaned out "Shizuo...I can't hold it any longer.." With a nod, Shizuo breathed heavily as he said "Then let it go.."

It only took three more thrusts until Izaya's grip on the blond's shoulder tightened and he screamed out, releasing his seed. The way his entrance tightened around Shizuo's member made the blond follow close, coming to his climax inside of the informant. After both have finished, the taller of the two pulled out and laid beside Izaya. "It wasn't bad, was it?" Izaya started laughing at that, cuddling up to the older male's chest. "I'm sure that my back will be sore in the morning. You really are a monster, Shizuo. But, you are right, it was good." he paused to lean up and kiss Shizuo, then he added "Maybe because you are a monster I can love you more than others. I just can't love a human like that." The blond's arms went around the informant's waist and he hummed "Simon's 'domino effect' worked way better than I imagined." "What?", Izaya asked with a confused look. "Nevermind. Good night."

* * *

The next morning, Izaya woke up with a sore back and groaned, quietly getting up to take a shower before the customers came in. Approaching the mirror, he saw a lot of hickeys, bite marks and scratches all over his body. He sighed and after trying to say something, he noticed that his voice was also hoarse from screaming so much. He groaned in annoyance and hissed out "I really, really, really, absolutely _hate _Shizu-chan." A voice from behind said "That's not what you said last night." The mocking tone in the voice was way too obvious. Izaya approached the taller male and pulled him down for a kiss. "Shut up, idiot." The blond chuckled. "I'll make you tea to help your voice. Well then." As he turned to leave however, Izaya sighed dramatically and said in a teasing tone "And here I thought you'd take a shower with me." Shizuo stood in the doorframe and turned back to place a kiss on the forehead of the shorter male "And you said that _I_ am a pervert, but now look at you." Izaya entered the shower cabin and closed the door. "I hate you so much, Shizu-chan." A chuckle escaped the older male's lips andhe replied: "I love you too, flea."

* * *

* ca. 487 $  
**ca. 196 $


End file.
